That late-night snack may be doing more than affecting your waistline — it could be hurting your liver health.Researchers analyzed diet and lifestyle data from nearly 200,000 healthy people who were monitored for about 16 years.Those who reported eating after dinner or after bedtime had a 36% higher risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and a 28% higher risk of cirrhosis.The results were consistent even after adjusting for factors like age, body mass index, diabetes status, and physical activity.Researchers say eating at night, when your internal body clock is promoting sleep, can make it harder for your body to metabolize food efficiently. And the liver plays a key role in processing nutrients.It also increases the risk of obesity and insulin sensitivity, which are central drivers of fatty liver disease, now known as MASLD.As one study author puts it, “...the big take-away here is that confining your calorie intake to several hours before bedtime might be beneficial.”This study was observational and relied on self-reported data, so it can’t prove cause and effect.Researchers are now recruiting for a new study that will directly monitor participants’ eating habits to see whether eating earlier improves liver health.Source: Clinical Gastroenterology and HepatologyAuthor Affiliations: Oregon Health and Science University, Massachusetts General Hospital.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter