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@danwentskiing
I think I know the thing you're talking about and it absolutely was not a study. It was a lighthearted 'piece' by a GP (who should have known better). Purely anecdotal and didn't isolate variables let alone try to minimise them.
Power to weight ratio decrees that a lighter bike is faster. (Assuming other things are constant). If you stop/start a lot or its hilly, even more so... Whether or not it's necessary is a whole other (personal) argument.
As far as carbon goes - my understading is that it's far stronger (for a given weight) than any metal, until it's stressed in an un-predicted way, cracked, fractured etc. Then it's totally unpredictable. For me, that makes it useless for heavy duty applications like commuting and touring, but if I had more money, that wouldn't be a concern. So long as you're willing to replace it (or take the risk) after a crash, then fine...