Late-Night Eating Linked to 20 to 30 Percent Higher Risk of Liver Disease, Study Finds
A large study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology found that people who regularly eat after dinner or near bedtime face a 20 to 30 percent higher risk of developing fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University tracked nearly 200,000 participants over an average of 16 years. The association held even after adjusting for body weight, total calorie intake, and physical activity.
A large observational study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology in October 2026 found that regular late-night eating is associated with a 20 to 30 percent higher risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and cirrhosis.
Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University analyzed data from nearly 200,000 participants across three long-running datasets: the Nurses' Health Study, the Nurses' Health Study II, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Participants were tracked over an average of 16 years.
The study defined late-night eating as consuming food after dinner or near bedtime. The elevated risk remained consistent even after researchers adjusted for body mass index, total caloric intake, diabetes, physical activity, and overall diet quality.
Researchers believe the findings may be explained by the body's circadian rhythms. The liver manages blood sugar and nutrient processing on a biological clock that coordinates these tasks over a 24-hour cycle. Consuming calories when the body is biologically prepared for sleep may force the liver to process energy at suboptimal times. Insulin sensitivity also generally decreases at night, potentially making the liver less efficient at handling nutrient intake during late hours.
The study was observational and relied on self-reported data, so it cannot prove that late-night eating directly causes liver disease. The definition of late-night eating was broad, and the study did not account for the exact time, volume, or nutritional composition of the food consumed.
The OHSU research team is currently recruiting participants for a clinical trial that will monitor meal timing directly to evaluate whether shifting food consumption to earlier hours leads to measurable improvements in liver health.
Experts currently advise focusing on balanced diets and regular physical activity, while noting that occasional late-night snacking is not necessarily a cause for alarm.
