Night eating syndrome in liver transplant recipients with diabetes or excess-weight: a cross-sectional study

Background and aims Night Eating Syndrome (NES) is a disordered eating pattern characterized by evening hyperphagia and nocturnal eating episodes. While NES has been extensively studied in obese and psychiatric populations, its presence in liver transplant (LT) recipients remains unexplored. Hence, we aimed to assess NES prevalence in a real-life cohort of LT recipients with type 2 diabetes and/or overweight or obesity. Methods and results The Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) was administered to 101 LT recipients attending a nutritional-metabolic outpatient clinic, and clinical data were collected. Inclusion criteria were age >18 years, liver transplantation, and presence of type 2 diabetes and/or BMI >25 kg/m2. Patients with recent psychiatric diagnoses or unstable psychotropic medication were excluded. NES was identified in 5 % of participants. Obesity was significantly associated with nocturnal awakenings unrelated to urination (p = 0.008). NES symptoms such as insomnia, evening eating urges, and depressive mood were also reported by a substantial subset of patients. Conclusions NES is present among LT recipients and appears more prevalent in those with obesity and disrupted sleep patterns. Given the metabolic and psychological vulnerability of this population, NES may represent an under recognized barrier to optimal post-transplant care. These findings support incorporating psycho-nutritional screening tools in transplant follow-up protocols.