Love late-night snacking? It raises your risk of a serious disease by 20% to 30%

A late-night snack attack that’s more like a nightmare.The jury’s still out on late-night snacking: some foods boost health while you sleep, while others cause not-so-sweet dreams.And while a little meal before bedtime may curb your hunger in the short term, eating at the wrong time could increase the risk of a severe disease that causes permanent damage.Americans love to snack, although more research points to negative health consequences, from weight gain to a negative impact on liver health.A new study published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology examined nearly 200,000 people across three studies and found that late-night snacking significantly raises the risk of liver disease over time.The late-night eaters — defined as those who ate after dinner or after bedtime — experienced an increased risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) or cirrhosis in an average follow-up of 16 years.Among the late-night eaters, the study found a 20% to 30% increase in all forms of liver disease compared to those who didn’t have late-night snacks.The liver has intrinsic circadian clocks that coordinate metabolism, so the researchers explored how much of an impact the timing of meals and snacks has on the health of the organ.“We’re interested in changing the timing of eating in a way that could make a difference in health without changing the composition of what people eat,” lead author Dr.Robert Wilechansky told The Independent.MASLD is one of the common types of liver disease, occurring when fat builds up in the liver, which can cause inflammation over time.While the condition may not cause symptoms, it can cause more serious liver diseases without treatment, such as severe liver fibrosis or cirrhosis.Cirrhosis is a late-stage liver disease where healthy liver tissue is scarred and permanently damaged, preventing the liver from working properly to make protein, fight infections, clean the blood and help digest foo...