Preliminary findings, not yet peer-reviewed, show correlations rather than proven causation.

A new study links late-night eating to worsened gut health, especially under chronic stress, suggesting meal timing can impact bowel function and the gut microbiome.

The report notes the gut-brain axis may play a role, but conclusions are limited to associations and require more research to establish causality.

Using data from over 11,000 US participants in NHANES, those with high allostatic load who get more than a quarter of daily calories after 9 p.m. are 1.7 times more likely to experience constipation or diarrhea than low-stress, early-eating individuals.