Late-night eating increases intestinal disorder risk by 150%

A study presented at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2026 in Chicago indicates that consuming a significant portion of daily calories after 9:00 p.m. can increase the risk of intestinal problems by up to 150%, particularly when combined with chronic stress.

Led by scientists from New York Medical College, the research found that individuals consuming more than 25% of their daily calories late at night and facing high stress levels are significantly more likely to experience diarrhea or constipation. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed that those with high allostatic loads—an indicator of accumulated physiological stress—and late-night eating habits had a 1.7 times higher chance of developing these symptoms.

Additionally, findings from the American Gut Project suggested that high stress and late-night eating habits increased the probability of reporting intestinal issues by 2.5 times. This group also exhibited lower diversity in their gut microbiota. Lead author Dr. Harika Dadigiri emphasized that the timing of food consumption is as critical as the food itself, noting that late-night eating can have a “doubly negative impact” on gut health when stress is present.