Research

Energy balance

Sustained moderate caloric restriction (average 11.9% reduction over 24 months) improves aging-related biomarkers and metabolic health without causing adverse psychological or behavioral outcomes in healthy, non-obese adults.

To improve aging biomarkers and metabolic health, aim for a moderate, sustained reduction in calorie intake (around 10-12%) over a long period (e.g., 2 years). This should be done with professional guidance, using behavioral strategies to maintain adherence, and ensuring you take a multivitamin and calcium supplement to prevent deficiencies. This approach is safe and effective even for non-obese individuals.

StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
CALERIE 2 showed that moderate CR, 11.9% on average, induced improvements in aging-related biomarkers without adversely affecting psychological or behavioral outcomes.
James L. Dorling et al. · Nutrition Reviews · 2020

Why this rating

Randomized controlled trial, large sample size (n=218), long duration (24 months), objective measures (DLW).

Source

Effects of caloric restriction on human physiological, psychological, and behavioral outcomes: highlights from CALERIE phase 2

James L. Dorling et al. · Nutrition Reviews · 2020

DOI 10.1093/nutrit/nuaa085

narrative_review · n=218Cited 83×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →