We have already seen that the time we eat matters almost as much as what we eat: several studies had in fact noted a link between the habit of consuming late-night snacks and the tendency to suffer from obesity and heart problems. Now new research published on Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology has also linked this habit to two other pathologies, fatty liver disease associated with metabolic dysfunction (MASLD, the so-called “fatty liver”) and cirrhosis.
Stop dinners too late
In Italy, approximately one in five people suffers from fatty liver: the percentage in the USA rises to 30%, and this is why researchers decided to examine the data relating to almost 200,000 participants in three large US cohort studies (the Nurses’ Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study). The researchers analyzed their diet and lifestyle, looking for correlations between the incidence of liver disease and eating habits. Those who used to dine late had a 20-30% greater risk of suffering from liver disease than those who didn’t.
Robert Wilechansky, coordinator of the research, is keen to underline, however, that «among the people (involved in the study, Ed) who have developed hepatic steatosis, only a small part progress to serious forms of the disease, such as cirrhosis.” The study, rather than focusing on the seriousness of the possible consequences of midnight snacks, highlights how changing eating habits can be beneficial: it is better to stop eating a few hours before going to sleep, avoiding late evening dinners and late-night spaghetti dinners.
Chrononutrition again
The results of this new study add to an already large body of research on the topic which suggests that dining at typical Spanish times or indulging in ice cream on the sofa while watching a film may not be a good idea for our health. Other studies conducted on mice had also found that the liver would be one of the organs most susceptible to misalignment between meal times and sleep times. “We continue to see that when we do things, whether it’s sleeping, eating or exercising, really matters,” concludes Andrew McHill, one of the authors of the study.
