Late Eating Linked to 20–30% Higher Risk of Liver Disease — ScienceDaily

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University in the United States analyzed data from nearly 200,000 participants in three large national studies. Regular eating after dinner or after bedtime was linked to a 20–30% higher risk of liver disease, ScienceDaily reports.

The study results were published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. The scientists compared information on eating habits, daily routines, and lifestyle factors with participants’ reports of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and cirrhosis.

Which diseases were analyzed

Participants were grouped by their usual meal times, and these patterns were compared with liver disease data. Steatotic liver disease, often called fatty liver disease, results from the accumulation of excess fat in the organ. It can progress to inflammation, liver damage, and cirrhosis, although most people do not develop severe tissue scarring.

The study’s lead author, hepatologist Robert Vilehanski, described the work as one of the first long-term analyses to directly link late eating with fatty liver disease. Late meals had previously been associated with obesity and cardiovascular problems.

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The possible role of circadian rhythms

The authors cite circadian rhythms as one possible explanation. The liver is involved in processing nutrients, regulating blood sugar levels, and using energy. Eating at a time when the body is preparing for sleep may disrupt these processes, the researchers said.

Study co-author Andrew McGill, who specializes in sleep physiology and circadian rhythms, said that nighttime eating may reduce the body’s ability to metabolize food effectively. At the same time, the study is observational and therefore does not prove that late meals cause liver disease. The data were also based on participants’ self-reported meal times.

The OHSU team is recruiting participants for a clinical study in which it plans to directly track meal times. The researchers will examine whether moving eating to an earlier time is associated with measurable improvements in people with existing fatty liver disease.