Late‐night eating‐induced physiological dysregulation and circadian misalignment are accompanied by microbial dysbiosis

Irregular eating patterns—particularly consuming food late at night—can heighten the risk of obesity and metabolic illnesses. This study by Ni et al. (2019) examined how late-night eating affects bodily functions and gut microbiota using male Wistar rats subjected to controlled light/dark cycles and different feeding schedules that simulate common meal timings. Rats that ate late at night, especially those skipping breakfast (LDN group) or dinner (BLN group), showed greater weight gain linked to reduced physical activity. These rat groups also experienced liver fat buildup and widespread inflammation compared to rats fed regular meals. While most feeding schedules maintained normal timing of circadian clock gene activity, the LDN group showed a 4-hour delay in peripheral tissues gene activity. Additionally, late-night feeding led to notable disruptions in the structure and function of gut microbiota, especially in the LDN group, which the author comments has contributed to metabolic disturbances. [NPID: Late-night eating, circadian rhythm, gut microbiota, metabolic disorder, inflammation, hepatic lipid accumulation, physical activity, microbial dysbiosis]

Year: 2019

Reference: Ni, Y., Wu, L., Jiang, J., Yang, T., Wang, Z., Ma, L., Zheng, L., Yang, X., Wu, Z., & Fu, Z. (2019). Late‐night eating‐induced physiological dysregulation and circadian misalignment are accompanied by microbial dysbiosis. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 63(24). https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201900867