Could a simple blood test determine when you’ll die?

Welcome to your daily roundup of important health news

Every day, an estimated 6,800 new peer-reviewed academic articles are published. That’s a whole lot of science to wade through—but don’t fret. We’ll do the legwork for you, each and every morning. Here’s your daily dose of the latest discoveries from journals, research institutions, and news outlets from around the world.

Test Your BloodA new blood test might help determine your chances of dying early: Researchers from Boston University discovered that patterns of certain chemicals in the blood can predict peoples’ chances of developing conditions like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and cognitive decline over 8 years—and even if they’re more likely to die during that time, too. Eventually, they hope it will one day allow doctors to be able to predict who is at risk of developing certain diseases, well before clinical signs become apparent.

Cut Your Stress to Boost Your WorkoutYour gym session might suffer if your brain is beat: Exercising while you’re mentally fatigued—say, you had a draining day at the office—can make you feel tired more quickly, take more time to complete your workout, and feel like you’re working harder, a new review in Sports Medicine concluded.

Make Your Kid Lie LessDon’t blow up when your kid confesses he accidentally cracked your iPhone. That’s because children are more likely to acknowledge their transgressions rather than lie about them if they believe their parents will react positively to the confession, researchers from the University of Michigan found. If you want your kid to keep coming clean, try to take his misdeeds in stride.

Stop Blaming the WeatherNo, the crappy weather isn’t responsible for your aches and pains. At least that’s what researchers from the George Institute for Global Health are saying, after finding that precipitation, humidity, wind speed, and air pressure do not increase the risk of developing low back pain. Focus on these 7 strategies to eliminate back pain instead.

Take a NapYour midday snooze might protect your brain: Older adults who took a one-hour nap after lunch performed better on tests of cognitive function than people who did not nap, a study from China found. People who napped for shorter or longer didn’t experience the same benefits, so there seems to be something protective about that one-hour sweet spot.