Nighttime snacking may increase the risk of developing liver disease, a study suggests.
Research has shown that people who eat late at night may be up to 30% more likely to develop fatty liver or cirrhosis.
Eating late in the evening or at night was previously associated with an increased risk of heart disease or obesity, but new research has attempted to determine whether the liver is also affected.
The experts looked at data from about 200,000 people based in the United States, including their eating habits and whether they had developed liver disease.
It defines late night eating as consuming food after dinner or after bedtime.
The liver “in phase” with circadian rhythms
The results revealed that there was a 20 to 30 percent increase in all forms of liver disease among those who reported eating late, compared to those who did not.
In particular, they had a higher risk of fat accumulation in the liver, known as steatotic liver disease associated with metabolic dysfunction, or cirrhosis, a chronic condition in which healthy liver tissue is permanently damaged or scarred.
Lead study author Dr Robert Wilechansky of Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) said: “We know that the liver is very in tune with the body’s circadian rhythms.
“So we want to change the timing of eating in a way that could impact health, without changing the composition of what people eat.”
He said the effect on the liver had been “talked about”, but the study was “among the first long-term analyzes to explicitly establish the link with fatty liver disease”.
Gn Health
