That late-night snack might have more to do with your health than you think. New research suggests that people who eat late at night may face a higher risk of liver disease, raising questions about whether meal timing matters alongside what we eat.
The study, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, analyzed data from nearly 200,000 U.S. adults and found that those who reported eating late at night had a roughly 20% to 30% higher relative risk of fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. However, the findings show an association, not proof that late-night eating causes liver problems.
Researchers examined information from three long-running studies that tracked participants' eating habits, lifestyles and health over time. Late-night eating was broadly defined as eating after dinner or after bedtime, rather than after a specific hour.
An earlier analysis presented at a 2025 liver disease conference followed participants for a median of 16 years. During that time, 4,477 reported developing fatty liver disease, a condition involving excess fat buildup in the liver, while 312 reported cirrhosis, a more serious condition involving liver scarring.
The association with late-night eating remained even after researchers accounted for factors such as body weight, calorie intake, alcohol consumption and overall diet quality.
“We know the liver is very much in tune with the body’s circadian rhythms,” said lead author Dr. Robert Wilechansky, a liver specialist at Oregon Health & Science University.
The body's internal clock helps regulate how it processes food throughout the day. Eating late at night, when the body is preparing for sleep, may interfere with those patterns.
Still, there are important limitations. Participants reported their own eating habits and medical diagnoses, and other lifestyle factors could help explain the findings. The study also doesn't establish whether an occasional bedtime snack carries the same association as regularly eating late.
Researchers are now planning a clinical study to see whether shifting meals earlier can improve liver health.
For now, the findings suggest that meal timing deserves more attention, but they don't establish an ideal time to stop eating or mean that everyone needs to give up an evening snack.
The research was supported by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Foundation.