Research

Energy balance

A 25% caloric restriction for 6 months in non-obese humans significantly reduces fasting insulin, core body temperature, and oxidative DNA damage, while improving insulin sensitivity and reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors.

To improve your metabolic health and longevity markers, reduce your daily calorie intake by 25% below what you need to maintain your current weight for at least 6 months. This approach has been shown to significantly lower fasting insulin, reduce oxidative DNA damage, and improve cardiovascular risk factors without negatively impacting mood or triggering eating disorders in healthy, non-obese adults.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Six months of CR produced favorable alterations in physiological and behavioral outcomes... Significant reductions were observed in both fasting insulin concentrations (-29% +/- 6%) and core body temperature (-0.208C +/- 0.058C)... DNA damage was reduced from baseline after 6 months in CR (p = 0.0005)... we observed a 40% improvement in insulin sensitivity... estimated 10-year CVD risk was 28% lower after only 6 months of CR.
Leanne M. Redman et al. · Antioxidants and Redox Signaling · 2010

Why this rating

Randomized controlled trial with objective biomarkers, though limited to 6 months and non-obese subjects.

Source

Caloric Restriction in Humans: Impact on Physiological, Psychological, and Behavioral Outcomes

Leanne M. Redman et al. · Antioxidants and Redox Signaling · 2010

DOI 10.1089/ars.2010.3253

narrative_review · n=48Cited 321×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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