{"id":888516,"date":"2026-10-20T05:50:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T05:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/888516\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T05:50:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T05:50:19","slug":"study-late-night-snacking-may-increase-chances-of-liver-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/888516\/","title":{"rendered":"Study: Late-Night Snacking May Increase Chances of Liver Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated4 min read<\/p>\n

Key Points<\/p>\n

\"CaretEating too soon before bed could be hurting your liver health.According to a recent study, people who reported late-night snacking had a 20% to 30% higher risk of liver disease.Here\u2019s how experts suggest approaching late-night eating.<\/p>\n

Whether you ate an early dinner<\/a> or just crave a little something sweet before bed, we\u2019ve all been known to engage in some after-dinner grazing. But the findings from a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology<\/a> suggest that evening snacking could spell trouble for your liver health.<\/p>\n

Meet the experts: Melissa Mroz-Planells, D.C.N., R.D.N., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics<\/a>; Andrew McHill, Ph.D.<\/a>, study co-author and expert in circadian rhythms.<\/p>\n

The research included nearly 200,000 participants who self-reported their eating habits. During the 16-year follow-up period, the researchers discovered that those who reported late-night eating<\/a>\u2014defined as eating after dinner\u2014were 20% to 30% more likely to develop all forms of liver disease<\/a>, including cirrhosis and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, more commonly known as fatty liver disease).<\/p>\n

Does that mean you can never have a late-night snack again? Ahead, experts break it down.<\/p>\n

Why are the findings significant?<\/p>\n

When we think about how our diet affects our health, we usually think about what we\u2019re eating. But the findings highlight that when we eat may matter just as much, according to Melissa Mroz-Planells, D.C.N., R.D.N., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics<\/a>. \u201cOur metabolism follows a circadian rhythm, and eating late at night may interfere with normal metabolic processes,\u201d she explains. \u201cUnderstanding how meal timing influences liver health could help identify another practical way to reduce long-term disease risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s worth noting, according to Andrew McHill, Ph.D.<\/a>, a co-author on the study and expert in circadian rhythms. \u201cEven though we can\u2019t make clinical recommendations based on this analysis, the findings suggest it\u2019s reasonable to refrain from eating before your normal bedtime or late at night when possible,\u201d he says. \u201cA small shift in meal timing to lower the risk of liver disease may be especially beneficial considering as much as 30% of the U.S. population is estimated to be affected by liver disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while we often think about circadian rhythm, or our body\u2019s \u201cnatural clock,\u201d in the context of sleep<\/a>, McHill says this study adds to a growing body of evidence showing that it\u2019s also worth considering in relation to other aspects of our health, from eating to exercise. \u201cPeople ought to pay attention to the body\u2019s day-night cycle of circadian rhythms in addition to what or how much they eat,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Does late-night eating affect your health in other ways?<\/p>\n

With that in mind, you might be wondering if late-night eating could be affecting more than just your liver. Mroz-Planells says there are a few other reasons you might want to consider closing the kitchen early.<\/p>\n

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\u201cLate-night eating, particularly large meals close to bedtime, may worsen acid reflux<\/a> and make it easier to consume excess calories,\u201d she says. \u201cEating during the body\u2019s biological night may also affect blood glucose regulation,\u201d meaning you may be more likely to experience blood sugar spikes or swings.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean one late-night snack will tank your health. Mroz-Planells points out that the effects of late-night eating can vary widely based on the person, the size of the meal, what you\u2019re eating, and your sleep schedule. \u201cAn occasional evening snack is not inherently unhealthy,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

What does this mean for you?<\/p>\n

To be clear, if you find yourself eating the occasional late dinner or midnight snack, that doesn\u2019t automatically mean your liver health<\/a> is in trouble. \u201cThere is no need to panic,\u201d Mroz-Planells says. \u201cMany people eat late because of work or family schedules, and late-night eating does not automatically lead to liver disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

But when you are able to control your schedule, the timing of your meals may be worth considering in addition to their nutritional content. \u201cOur analysis suggests refraining from eating two to four hours before your normal bedtime if possible. However, we need to learn more before we can make definitive clinical recommendations,\u201d McHill explains. He hopes this study will be a starting point for future research on whether small changes in the timing of food intake may help to preserve liver health.<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re concerned about protecting your liver health, remember that meal timing is just one piece of the puzzle. Mroz-Planells says that regular physical activity, adequate sleep, limiting sugary drinks and excess alcohol, and your overall diet quality can also play an important role. In fact, one may help with the other. \u201cEating balanced meals throughout the day, including fiber-rich foods<\/a> and lean or plant-based proteins<\/a>, may also help prevent excessive evening hunger,\u201d she points out.<\/p>\n

So if your schedule doesn\u2019t allow for an earlier dinner, don\u2019t feel like you have to force it. Instead, \u201cfocus on what you can control,\u201d Mroz-Planells suggests. \u201cThe goal is a sustainable routine, not rigid rules about when you can eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bottom line<\/p>\n

These findings suggest that meal timing could affect our liver health\u2014and overall health\u2014more than we previously thought, but there\u2019s more to consider. McHill points out that eating time was self-reported and that the study was observational, which means it can show an association between late-night eating and liver disease, but not a true cause-and-effect relationship.<\/p>\n

Mroz-Planells also adds that it\u2019s possible that other factors, like sleep patterns and overall diet quality, may be affecting that relationship. \u201cLiver health is influenced by more than just what we eat,\u201d she explains. \u201cMeal timing may also play a role, but the goal isn\u2019t to fear an occasional late-night snack. It\u2019s to build consistent, sustainable habits that support overall metabolic health.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"4 min read Key Points Eating too soon before bed could be hurting your liver health.According to a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":888517,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[97,111189],"class_list":["post-888516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-health","tag-impressions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/888516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=888516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/888516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/888517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=888516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=888516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=888516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}