Researchers analyzing nearly 200,000 American adults found that routinely eating late at night was associated with a 20% to 30% higher risk of liver disease, suggesting that meal timing may play an important role in long-term liver health.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Eating late at night may increase the risk of developing fatty liver disease and cirrhosis, according to a new study involving nearly 200,000 American adults that found a significant association between nighttime eating habits and liver health.
Researchers from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Massachusetts General Hospital examined dietary patterns and health outcomes from three long-running American studies, finding that people who regularly ate after dinner or around bedtime experienced higher rates of liver disease than those who avoided late-night eating.
The study, published Oct. 9 in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, examined 199,155 participants from the Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II and Health Professionals Follow-up Study.
Participants provided information about their eating habits, including whether they consumed food after dinner or around bedtime. Researchers compared those patterns with subsequent diagnoses of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), commonly called fatty liver disease, and cirrhosis.
The analysis found that late-night eating was associated with a 31% higher risk of fatty liver disease and a 28% higher risk of cirrhosis after researchers accounted for factors including age, body weight, diabetes, physical activity, alcohol consumption, total calorie intake and overall dietary quality. <Cite ref=”turn105414search17″/>
Over a median follow-up period of 16 years, researchers identified 4,477 cases of fatty liver disease and 312 cases of cirrhosis.
The findings add to growing scientific interest in how the timing of meals, rather than food choices alone, may influence metabolic health and the development of chronic diseases.
Fatty liver disease occurs when excess fat accumulates in liver cells. The condition affects an estimated 30% of American adults and frequently develops without noticeable symptoms.
Although many people with fatty liver disease never experience serious complications, some develop inflammation, progressive scarring and ultimately cirrhosis, which can impair liver function and increase the risk of liver failure and liver cancer.
Dr. Robert Wilechansky, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor at OHSU who led the study, emphasized that only a minority of people with fatty liver disease progress to advanced liver damage.
“It’s important to remember, of the people who developed fatty liver disease, only a small fraction develop serious forms of the condition like liver cirrhosis,” Wilechansky said in an OHSU announcement.
“Even so, the big take-away here is that confining your calorie intake to several hours before bedtime might be beneficial.”
Researchers believe the relationship may involve the body’s circadian rhythm, the internal biological clock that regulates sleep, metabolism, hormone production and other essential functions.
The liver follows a daily rhythm that influences how efficiently it processes nutrients, regulates blood sugar and stores energy.
During daylight hours, metabolic processes generally align with food consumption and physical activity. Late-night eating may disrupt that coordination, requiring the liver to process additional nutrients when the body is biologically preparing for sleep.
Previous research has connected eating close to bedtime with impaired glucose regulation, weight gain and metabolic disturbances. The latest findings suggest that liver health may also be affected.
Andrew McHill, an associate professor and circadian physiologist at OHSU who contributed to the research, said the study reinforces the importance of daily biological rhythms.
“We are seeing over and over again that the timing of behaviors, whether it’s sleep, eating or exercise, really matters,” McHill said.
However, the researchers cautioned that the study was observational, meaning it identified an association rather than proving that late-night eating directly causes liver disease.
Participants reported their own dietary habits, and other lifestyle factors may have influenced the results. The investigators also noted that additional studies incorporating liver imaging and more precise measures of disease severity would help confirm their findings.
The research team has begun further clinical work examining the effects of meal timing on metabolic health and liver function.
The investigators also recommended studying more diverse populations to determine whether the observed relationship applies consistently across different age groups, ethnic backgrounds and lifestyles.
The findings suggest that limiting food consumption during the hours immediately before bedtime could be a practical strategy worth investigating, particularly because changing meal schedules does not necessarily require expensive treatments or major dietary restrictions.
Nevertheless, maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising regularly, limiting alcohol consumption and following a balanced diet remain established measures for protecting liver health.
The study’s central finding is that when people eat may deserve greater attention alongside what and how much they eat.
Further research will be needed to establish whether shifting meals earlier in the day can directly reduce the incidence of fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.
Explainer Infographic
Comments