Research

Energy balance

Long-term calorie restriction (25% reduction for 2 years) in healthy nonobese adults improves mood, general health, and sexual drive without negatively affecting quality of life, sleep, or stress levels.

If you are a healthy, nonobese adult, reducing your calories by 25% for two years is unlikely to harm your mental health or quality of life. In fact, it may improve your mood, reduce tension, and boost your sense of general health and sexual drive. You do not need to fear that eating less will make you miserable.

StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
In nonobese adults, CR had some positive effects and no negative effects on health-related QOL.
Corby K. Martin et al. · JAMA Internal Medicine · 2016

Why this rating

Randomized clinical trial, multisite, intent-to-treat analysis, large sample size (N=218), long duration (2 years).

Source

Effect of Calorie Restriction on Mood, Quality of Life, Sleep, and Sexual Function in Healthy Nonobese Adults

Corby K. Martin et al. · JAMA Internal Medicine · 2016

DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.1189

rct · n=220Cited 204×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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