Association between night eating frequency and thyroid function and sensitivity: a cross-sectional study from the NHANES database

Thyroid function is closely linked to circadian rhythms, but the relationship between the frequency of night eating and thyroid function remains unclear. Our study aimed to investigate the association between night eating frequency and its impact on thyroid function and sensitivity. This study included 6093 participants from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2012). Night eating behavior was assessed through 24-hour dietary recall, with night eating frequency calculated on the basis of food intake between 10:00 PM and 4:00 AM. The thyroid hormone indices examined included T3, T4, FT3, FT4, TSH, TGA, Tg, and TPOAb, whereas thyroid hormone sensitivity was assessed via indices such as the FT3/FT4, TSHI, TT4RI, and TFQI. The associations between night eating frequency and thyroid function were analyzed via weighted univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses. Subgroup analyses and interaction test analyses were also employed to test this correlation. Compared with individuals who did not eat at night, those who ate more frequently at night had higher levels of Tg (OR 1.223 [95% CI 1.048, 1.429], p trend=0.015) but lower levels of T3 (OR 0.728 [95% CI 0.611, 0.868], p trend=0.235) and TPOAb (OR 0.728 [95% CI 0.611, 0.868], p trend=0.235). Subgroup analysis indicated that this association between Tg and night eating was stronger in the DM group (Tg: OR 1.49 [95% CI 1.15, 1.93]), p interaction=0.022) and that the association between TPOAb and night eating was stronger in the group without DM (TPOAb: OR 0.9 [95% CI 0.82, 0.97]), p interaction=0.003). Our findings suggest a significant association between night eating frequency and thyroid function. However, no statistically significant differences were found in thyroid sensitivity based on night eating frequency. Despite these findings, the hormone fluctuations observed were within normal clinical ranges. Further rigorously designed studies are needed to establish a causal relationship between night eating frequency and thyroid function.