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Caloric restriction (30-50% reduction) acts as a direct epigenetic factor by decreasing histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) levels, thereby delaying aging and alleviating age-related diseases in animal models.
In animal models, reducing calorie intake by 30-50% lowers HDAC2 levels, an enzyme associated with aging. This suggests that moderate caloric restriction may have anti-aging epigenetic benefits, though human applicability requires further validation.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
nutritional interventions in adulthood like caloric restriction can induce epigenetic changes that have the potential to alleviate age-related diseases... caloric restriction food intake is intentionally reduced by 30–50%... has been shown to delay the aging process in mice by decreasing the levels of histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2)
Why this rating
Based on mouse studies cited in a review.
Source
Epigenetics across the human lifespan
Riya R. Kanherkar et al. · Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology · 2014
DOI 10.3389/fcell.2014.00049
narrative_reviewCited 406×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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