Research

Energy balance

Prolonged calorie restriction reduces DNA damage (measured by comet assay) in nonobese overweight adults, while protein carbonyl levels remain unchanged.

Calorie restriction reduces DNA damage, a key factor in aging. This benefit was seen across different types of calorie restriction (moderate, with exercise, and very low-calorie), suggesting that reducing energy intake protects DNA integrity.

StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
Protein carbonyl concentrations were not changed from baseline to month 6 in any group, whereas DNA damage was also reduced from baseline in all intervention groups (P<.005).
Leonie K. Heilbronn et al. · JAMA · 2006

Why this rating

RCT with rigorous biochemical analysis.

Source

Effect of 6-Month Calorie Restriction on Biomarkers of Longevity, Metabolic Adaptation, and Oxidative Stress in Overweight Individuals

Leonie K. Heilbronn et al. · JAMA · 2006

DOI 10.1001/jama.295.13.1539

rct · n=48Cited 977×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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