This Just In

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

1 EATING FRENCH FRIES MAY INCREASE MORTALITY RISK

An eight-year study of 4,400 older people in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that those who ate fried potatoes, such as hash browns or french fries, more than two times per week were at least twice as likely to die prematurely as those who did not. Unfried versions like baked or mashed potatoes weren’t linked with increased mortality.

2 STAYING UP LATE ON WEEKENDS IS BAD FOR YOUR HEART

A study presented at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies annual meeting found that each hour of “social jet lag”–staying up late and sleeping in on weekends–was linked with an 11% higher risk of heart disease, along with fatigue and worse moods.

3 IT’S HEALTHIER TO BE CLOSE WITH FRIENDS THAN FAMILY

A report in Personal Relationships that included 270,000 people worldwide found that having close friends in old age was a stronger predictor of physical and emotional well-being than close family connections.

–J.Z.