Health
Sleep doctors say Olympic athletes’ cardboard beds could have 'disastrous' impact
Athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics are sleeping on cardboard bed frames for the second summer games in a row.
First introduced at Tokyo 2020, the cardboard beds have made a comeback as an environmentally friendly solution in the Olympic Village, according to reports.
The athletes can extend the beds to accommodate their size and can choose the firmness of the mattress, as shown in a video posted to the Olympics YouTube page.
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The sustainable beds, which are 100% made in France, will be fully recycled after the games, Olympic organizers have said.
Virginia-based neurologist Dr. Chris Winter, a sleep adviser for Mattress Firm and a sleep consultant for major-league sports teams in the U.S., reacted to the sleeping arrangements in an interview with Fox News Digital.
A general view of a cardboard bed used by athletes at the Olympic Village site in Paris. (Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
“I was not part of the French Olympic planning, but given the overall theme of the games as being ‘more responsible, more inclusive and more equal,’ I think the cardboard bed checks those boxes,” he said.
“For an Olympic swimmer, weightlifter or gymnast, to awaken with a tweak or catch in their back could be disastrous.”
Winter noted that past Olympic events have been associated with “tremendous amounts of waste.”
The cardboard beds are not only more economical, but also “much easier on the environment,” he said.
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“When the games are over, organizers are not tasked with what to do with thousands of real twin beds,” Winter said. “This creates significant cost savings, I imagine.”
Having the same beds also gives everyone a “performance advantage” when it comes to sleep, the expert noted.
U.S. gymnast Simon Biles yawns as she prepares to perform her uneven bars routine during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games on July 30, 2024. At right, one of the cardboard beds is shown. (Getty Images)
“I’m sure the fact that they could more easily break if jumped on or if lots of athletes are on the bed is probably a plus, as an indirect way to control behavior,” he added.
“Plus, if an overzealous athlete throws theirs out the window, damage and risk is minimized.”
Potential health risks
While there are benefits to the cardboard solution, Winter stressed that these structures could pose some health risks for athletes.
“For an Olympic swimmer, weightlifter or gymnast to awaken with a tweak or catch in their back could be disastrous,” he said.
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“Lilly King missed a breaststroke medal by 1/100th of a second,” Winter noted. “Could a cardboard bed be to blame? Without a doubt,” he said, expressing his opinion.
A poor night’s sleep can even affect an athlete psychologically, the expert added.
The cardboard beds — one is shown here, without the bedsheets and covers — can extend longer to accommodate all Olympic athletes. (Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
Chafen Watkins Hart, M.D., sleep specialist at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado, also weighed in on the importance of proper sleep for athletes.
“Getting used to a new environment, including a new bed, is daunting, especially with jet lag and the intensity of athletic competition,” she told Fox News Digital.
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Although the mattresses reportedly have been improved from the ones used in Tokyo, they are still “very firm,” according to Hart.
“In general, it appears that the materials are washable and reusable, which is the primary reason they are being employed for thousands of athletes in the village,” she said.
Ilona Maher of the U.S., at left, is chased by Brazil’s Gabriela Lima, right, during a women’s rugby match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 28, 2024. (CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images)
For some athletes, a mattress that is too firm can cause muscle soreness, she cautioned, while others may prefer firmness.
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Beyond the bed and mattress, Hart also noted that temperature and roommate considerations can also adversely affect athletes’ sleep.
“The rooms do not have air conditioning, and many athletes are supplementing with their own portable units,” she said.
If athletes don’t “feel they are sleeping ‘right,’ the fallout could be bad,” a sleep expert said. (Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
“Sleeping in a hot, humid environment can be really disruptive and can increase the number of arousals [during the night] … and severity of insomnia.”
Many athletes may also get a random roommate assignment with someone who has different sleep habits.
“Someone who is a night owl will not love bunking with an early bird,” Hart said.
“Or someone used to sleeping in a silent, dark space may have trouble adjusting to a roommate who likes to play music and keep a light on.”
The mattress for athletes in Paris can be flipped to adjust its firmness, according to the Olympics. (Gao Jing/Xinhua via Getty Images)
For a good night’s sleep, Winter advised athletes to bring their own pillows and attempt to keep the room cool.
He also suggested bringing items that remind them of home, such as a partner’s pillowcase, favorite nighttime tea, stuffed animals, sleep masks or posters.
“Getting that Parisian apartment to feel like home can be a great advantage,” he said.
Hart agreed, adding that familiar scents, calming music and chats with loved ones can help reduce anxiety about sleeping in a strange or uncomfortable place.
Fox News Digital reached out to the International Olympic Committee for comment.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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