Researchers found that people who reported eating late at night had a 20% to 30% higher rate of liver disease.
The study examined health and lifestyle information from nearly 200,000 participants across three long-running research projects.
Researchers say finishing meals several hours before bedtime may support liver health, although more research is needed to confirm the connection.
Late-night snacking might seem like a harmless habit, especially after a long day. But new research suggests that when you eat could have an impact on your liver health, too.
A study led by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) found an association between eating late at night and an increased risk of two liver conditions: metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), commonly known as fatty liver disease, and cirrhosis, a serious condition involving liver scarring.
The findings add to growing research on the body's circadian rhythm, or its internal clock. This system helps regulate important processes throughout the day and night, including sleep and metabolism.
“We know the liver is very much in tune with the body’s circadian rhythms,” researcher Robert Wilechansky, M.D., said in a news release. “So we’re interested in changing the timing of eating in a way that could make a difference in health, without changing the composition of what people eat.”
How researchers studied eating habits and liver health
To investigate the connection, researchers analyzed information from nearly 200,000 participants enrolled in three large, long-running research projects: the Nurses' Health Study, Nurses' Health Study II, and Health Professionals Follow-up Study.
Rather than conducting a new experiment, the team examined existing information about participants' eating habits, lifestyles, and health. Participants had previously reported their own dietary and lifestyle behaviors, allowing researchers to compare eating patterns with reports of liver disease.
For this analysis, late-night eating included consuming food after dinner or after going to bed.
Researchers then looked for connections between these eating habits and the development of fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.
What the findings mean for consumers
The analysis found that participants who reported eating late at night had a 20% to 30% higher rate of liver disease compared with those who did not report the habit.
However, that doesn't mean an occasional bedtime snack will automatically damage your liver. The study was observational, meaning researchers identified an association rather than proving that late-night eating directly causes liver disease. The information also relied on participants reporting their own habits.
“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,” Dr. Wilechansky said. “Even so, the big take-away here is that confining your calorie intake to several hours before bedtime might be beneficial.”
Still, the findings suggest that meal timing could be another factor worth considering when thinking about long-term health. Researchers say limiting food intake to several hours before bedtime may be beneficial.
For consumers, the takeaway isn't that late-night eating should be a source of worry. Instead, it may be worth paying attention to how close your evening meals and snacks are to bedtime as researchers continue exploring the relationship between our internal clocks and overall health.