A regular habit of eating late in the evening is associated with a significantly higher risk of liver disease, according to a new study from researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). The findings suggest that the timing of meals may be just as important as the content of the diet for protecting long-term liver health.
The study, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, analyzed data from nearly 200,000 participants across three major nationwide cohorts: the Nurses’ Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study II, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Participants who reported regularly eating after dinner or after their usual bedtime faced a 20% to 30% higher risk of developing liver disease compared to those who avoided late-night snacks.
Connection to Fatty Liver and Cirrhosis
The increased risk applied to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, commonly known as fatty liver disease, as well as cirrhosis, a condition characterized by extensive scarring of the liver. Fatty liver disease affects up to 30% of the U.S. population and occurs when excess fat accumulates in the liver. While most individuals with fatty liver do not progress to advanced scarring, the condition can lead to inflammation and liver damage over time.
“A few studies have hinted at this idea, but this is among the first long-term analyses to explicitly draw the connection to fatty liver disease,” said lead author Robert Wilechansky, M.D., a hepatologist at OHSU specializing in liver transplantation. He noted that while only a small fraction of people with fatty liver develop serious forms like cirrhosis, the data points to a clear pattern.
“Even so, the big take-away here is that confining your calorie intake to several hours before bedtime might be beneficial,” Wilechansky said.
Circadian Rhythms and Metabolic Impact
The researchers attribute the link to the body’s circadian rhythms, the internal biological processes that regulate sleep, metabolism, and energy storage over a 24-hour cycle. The liver is particularly sensitive to these rhythms, playing a key role in processing nutrients and regulating blood sugar. Eating when the body is biologically preparing for sleep may interfere with these metabolic functions.
Wilechansky became interested in the connection after reviewing evidence regarding night shift workers, who experience higher rates of obesity and heart disease due to schedules that conflict with natural sleep-wake cycles. This raised the possibility that irregular eating times could contribute to broader metabolic problems.
“We know the liver is very much in tune with the body’s circadian rhythms,” Wilechansky said. “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.”
Andrew McHill, Ph.D., a study co-author and associate professor specializing in sleep and circadian physiology at OHSU, emphasized that the timing of daily behaviors has consistent health consequences. “We are seeing over and over again that the timing of behaviors, whether it’s sleep, eating, or exercise, really matters,” McHill said. He noted that previous experiments involving animals have identified the liver as one of the organs most vulnerable to disruptions in the relationship between eating and sleeping.
Next Steps in Clinical Research
The researchers emphasize that the current analysis is observational and cannot establish cause and effect. The study relied on self-reported information about eating habits, and other lifestyle factors could help explain the association. To address these limitations, Wilechansky is involved in a new OHSU clinical study recruiting participants to investigate whether shifting food consumption earlier leads to measurable improvements in people with underlying fatty liver disease.
This ongoing trial will monitor meal timing directly rather than relying on past reports. The results could help determine whether meal timing deserves a place alongside established approaches to managing metabolic and liver health. The research was supported by the American Association of the Study of Liver Diseases Foundation, award CTORA24-179910.
Source: ScienceDaily
