Are you feeling isolated and lonely? It's important to fight off those feelings — and fill your heart with activities that connect you to a caring world.

That's the conclusion of a study published in JAMA Open Network, which examined around 58,000 older women and found that those who were dealing with social isolation and loneliness had a 13% to 27% higher risk for heart disease, stroke, or heart attack than women who didn't feel isolated and lonely.

Ideas: Organize regular walks with neighbors, hold dinners for friends, volunteer, and take classes online or in person.

Other news brings human studies on calorie restriction. We've known that worms, flies, and mice live longer if they eat less. Now we know some of the real-life benefits for humans.

Yale researchers had participants reduce their calorie intake by 14% for two years. That reversed deterioration of their thymus gland and upped production of diseases-fighting T cells. If you take in 1,800 calories daily, cutting that back to 1,550 could do the trick.

Another bright idea: To improve control of blood glucose levels and reduce the risk of weight gain, you need plenty of bright light, inside and out, during the day, and dimmer light after sunset.

That means mood lighting at dinner and no blue light from digital devices in the bedroom.

You'll be respecting your circadian rhythm and allowing your body to follow its healthy, preprogrammed biochemical cycles that influence everything from the impulse to eat to your mood.