WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A study published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology has found a link between eating late at night and a higher risk of liver diseases, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease or fatty liver disease and cirrhosis, a condition in which the liver becomes scarred.
Researchers analyzed data from three large studies - the Nurses' Health Study, the Nurses' Health Study II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Together, these studies included information from nearly 200,000 people.
The researchers examined participants' self-reported eating habits and lifestyles to look for links between their eating patterns and reports of fatty liver disease or cirrhosis.
The Oregon Health & Science University study found that people who reported eating late at night had a 20 percent to 30 percent higher rate of liver disease compared with those who did not report this habit.
Researchers believe that eating at a time when the body is preparing for sleep may interfere with normal metabolic processes. The liver plays an important role in regulating metabolism throughout the day, and eating late at night could affect how the body processes food.
However, the study relied on participants' reports of their eating habits and was observational. This means the researchers found a link between late-night eating and liver disease but could not establish that eating late at night directly causes these conditions.
Researchers are now recruiting participants for a clinical trial to investigate whether eating earlier in the day can improve indicators of fatty liver disease.
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