Late Eating and Obesity: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

Previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have reported inconsistent findings on the association between late eating and the risk of obesity.

This study aimed to investigate the association between late eating and the risk of obesity through a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies.

We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane library to retrieve relevant studies on this topic published up to September 2025.

We extracted an adjusted odds ratio (OR) and hazard ratio (HR) and the corresponding 95% CI in each included study on the association between late eating and the risk of obesity.

A total of 3 case-control and 5 cohort studies were included in the final analysis. In the meta-analysis of all the included studies, late eating was significantly associated with a higher risk of obesity (OR and HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.03-1.34). In the subgroup meta-analysis, late eating significantly increased the risk of obesity in cohort studies (OR and HR,1.20; 95% CI, 1.04-1.38) mostly conducted in Asian populations, whereas no significant association between them was found in case-control studies (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.49-1.50). Also, subgroup meta-analyses showed a positive association in adults and high-quality studies, but not in adolescents and low-quality studies.

In the current meta-analysis of cohort studies, late eating was associated with a higher risk of obesity in adults, while no association was observed in adolescents. Further prospective cohort studies are warranted to confirm our findings in adolescents and Western populations.