Late-night eating: study links night-time meals to liver disease

Not only what we eat but also when we eat could matter for the liver. Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University analysed data from nearly 200,000 participants in three large long-term US studies, including the Nurses' Health Study. ScienceDaily reported on 15 October on the work, published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Participants had provided information on their eating habits, daily routines and lifestyle.

According to the study, people who regularly ate late in the evening or around bedtime had a 20 to 30 per cent higher risk of liver disease than those who avoided it. The researchers looked at metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MASLD) and cirrhosis. Fatty liver disease affects up to 30 per cent of the US population, but only a small fraction develop serious forms. Co-author Andrew McHill, a sleep and circadian researcher, said the timing of behaviours such as sleep, eating and exercise really matters.

The study is observational and cannot establish cause and effect. It relies on self-reported data with fairly broad descriptions of meal timing, and other factors could explain the link. Whether changing meal times prevents liver disease was not tested. The university says it is recruiting for a controlled study that will track meal timing directly in people with fatty liver disease.