Research

Energy balance

Sustained 25% caloric restriction for 24 months significantly improves cardiometabolic risk factors (visceral adipose tissue, blood pressure, lipid profile, and 10-year CVD risk) in healthy nonobese individuals, with benefits persisting during weight maintenance.

If you are healthy and not obese, sustaining a moderate caloric deficit (around 25% less than your maintenance needs) for two years can significantly lower your risk of heart disease and improve your metabolic health. This includes reducing dangerous visceral fat, lowering blood pressure, and improving cholesterol levels. These benefits persist even after you stop losing weight, as long as you maintain the lower calorie intake. This suggests that long-term dietary habits, not just short-term weight loss, are key to cardiovascular health, even for those with a normal BMI.

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In conclusion, sustained CR in healthy, nonobese individuals is beneficial in improving risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic disease such as visceral adipose tissue mass, ectopic lipid accumulation, blood pressure, and lipid profile...
Jasper Most et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2018

Why this rating

Randomized controlled trial with a robust design (CALERIE 2 ancillary), long duration (24 months), and objective measures (MRI, blood chemistry), though limited to a specific healthy nonobese population.

Source

Significant improvement in cardiometabolic health in healthy nonobese individuals during caloric restriction-induced weight loss and weight loss maintenance

Jasper Most et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2018

DOI 10.1152/ajpendo.00261.2017

rct · n=53Cited 118×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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