Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology: Late-night eating linked to a 28% higher risk of cirrhosis
12:41 11 October, 2026Late-night snacking may be associated with an increased risk of fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. This is the conclusion of researchers who analyzed data from nearly 200,000 people whose health was monitored for approximately 16 years.
The findings were published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Participants who reported eating after dinner or after going to bed had a 36% higher risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and a 28% higher risk of cirrhosis compared with those who did not eat late at night. The association persisted even after adjustments for age, diabetes, physical activity, and body mass index.
“Some studies have already pointed to this possibility, but this is one of the first long-term studies to directly examine the association between late-night eating and fatty liver disease,” said the study’s lead author, Robert Vilechanowski, a liver disease and organ transplantation specialist at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.
The liver plays a crucial role in processing nutrients. Late-night eating may also contribute to weight gain and impaired insulin sensitivity, both of which are associated with the development of fatty liver disease, now known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
The authors suggest that limiting calorie intake in the hours leading up to bedtime may benefit liver health.
The researchers are now recruiting participants for a new study in which they plan to track eating patterns directly and determine whether eating earlier can help preserve liver health.