Health briefs: Job stress' toll

Women with demanding jobs that provide few opportunities to make decisions or use their creativity are at increased risk for heart attacks, according to new research. Researchers analyzed data provided by 22,000 women over 10 years regarding their job strain, job insecurity and other health and lifestyle information and found that women with high job strain were 38 percent more likely to have heart-related events, such as stroke. Heart attack risk was 70 percent higher. The report was published in PLoS ONE.

Fat chance

Worried about the battle of the bulge? Your circle of friends might be key to your weight gain, a study from Loyola University suggests. The research, conducted among high school students, found that teens were more likely to pile on the pounds if they hung out with people who were heavier than they were. The opposite was true for students whose friends were thinner. The researchers

say the findings might help experts combat obesity, at least among teenagers. -- HealthDay