This Just In

A roundup of new and noteworthy insights from the week’s most talked-about studies:

1 ALCOHOL IS USUALLY GOOD FOR THE HEART

A new study in the BMJ of almost 2 million people found that moderate alcohol consumption was linked with lower risk for at least seven heart conditions than non-drinking. But it didn’t lower the risk of four less-common heart problems, including certain mild strokes.

2 HAVING ONE NUT ALLERGY MAY CAUSE FALSE POSITIVE TESTS FOR OTHERS

A study in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology found that people with allergies to one nut often have positive allergy tests to other tree nuts. And yet, more than half those people didn’t actually have an allergic reaction after eating those other nuts.

3 BREASTFEEDING MAY NOT MAKE KIDS ANY SMARTER

A new study in Pediatrics found that babies who were breastfed didn’t score significantly better on cognitive tests when they were ages 3 to 5 than those who weren’t breastfed. This runs contrary to what previous research has suggested.

–Julia Zorthian