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

CONTEXT: Previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have reported inconsistent findings on the association between late eating and the risk of obesity. OBJECTIVE: 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. DATA SOURCES: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane library to retrieve relevant studies on this topic published up to September 2025. DATA EXTRACTION: 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. DATA ANALYSIS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: 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.