At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global audience. But with tens of thousands of articles published each year, it’s impossible to cover all of them. Here are just five amazing papers you may have missed.

The carbs you eat could change your sleep

Carbohydrates make up more than half of our energy intake. For a healthy diet, high-quality carbs, including grains, fruits, and vegetables are preferable to low-quality carbs like added sugars, refined grains, and fruit juices.

In a study recently published in Frontiers in Nutrition, researchers in China analyzed data of more than 17,000 participants who ate different types of diets composed of high- and low-quality carbs to assess how this impacts sleep patterns.

Their findings showed that eating more high-quality carbs reduced the likelihood of poor sleep patterns, whereas the opposite was true when more low-quality carbs were consumed. Eating high volumes of carbs in general was also found to correlate with poor sleeping patterns. Participants who ate high-quality carbs above the median and low-quality carbs below the median, had a 36% lower risk of poor sleep patterns than those who ate high-quality carbs below and low-quality carbs above the median.

Article link: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1491999/full

Getting in those stretches could make you more balanced

During a busy day, stretching exercises are easily forgotten in your routine. However, they could help keep us quite literally more balanced, researchers in China recently wrote in Frontiers in Physiology.

60 participants who regularly engaged in recreational activity were assigned different stretching exercises (static, dynamic, or none) before undergoing balance testing. This showed that both groups who had stretched had better static balance abilities (tested by placing the hands on the hips, with the non-supporting foot positioned on the inner knee of the supporting leg and lifting the heel of the supporting foot) than the control group.

In addition, dynamic – but not static – stretching (tested by maintaining single-leg balance while reaching as far as possible with the other leg in three directions) improved participants’ dynamic balance ability, enhancing both neuromuscular function and balance.

Article link: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2024.1486901/full

Midnight snacks might impact thyroid function

The thyroid is a small gland at the base of the human throat that regulates many important bodily functions by producing and releasing hormones. Its function is also closely linked to circadian rhythms. One factor that can disrupt it is eating at night.

In a sample of more than 6,000 participants, researchers in China investigated if the frequency with which people eat at night (defined as between the hours of 10pm and 4am) impacts thyroid function and sensitivity. They published their results in Frontiers in Endocrinology.

However tempting, they found an association between indulging in midnight snacks and thyroid function. Compared with not eating at night, more frequent night snacks and meals were associated with thyroid function, but not thyroid sensitivity, which is the body's response to thyroid hormones. The resulting hormone fluctuations, however, were within normal clinical ranges, the researchers pointed out.

Article link: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2024.1489459/full

Upping dietary fiber intake could improve overall health, including blood sugar regulation and gut function

Plant-based food is rich in dietary fiber. Increasing fiber intake offers significant health benefits and can contribute to the reduction of debilitating health issues.

To clarify the role of dietary fiber as a powerful tool to prevent and manage some of the world’s most prevalent diseases, a recent article published in Frontiers in Nutrition reviewed research on the impact of dietary fibers on multiple chronic diseases, notably cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes, obesity, and colon cancer.

The review showed that the benefits of dietary fiber go beyond aiding with digestive health, insulin sensitivity, and nutrient absorption. It plays an important role in mitigating the risk of several chronic diseases, including heart disease, type II diabetes, obesity, and inflammation. Eating more fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts can also contribute to better overall health, including improved blood sugar regulation and enhanced gut function.

Article link: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1510564/full

Sitting down for extended periods of time may increase stroke risk in older people

Spending all day sitting down is not only strenuous, but also bears health risks like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat, and unhealthy cholesterol levels.

Writing in Frontiers in Public Health, researchers in China have now found that prolonged periods of sitting might also increase the risk of stroke in people aged over 60.

Including confounding variables like gender and educational status – factors that can impact stroke risk in their own right – the researchers found that older people who met exercise recommendations, on the other hand, had a lower risk of stroke. Reducing time spent sitting down and engaging in more physical activity are effective ways to prevent stroke in older adults, the researchers pointed out.

Article link: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1484765/full

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