A new study found that people who followed a reduced-calorie diet for two years lost weight and fat and saw significant health benefits. Even healthy, young, slim people can benefit from cutting 300 calories from their daily intake. Such calorie reduction can be achieved through simple techniques such as intermittent fasting or by avoiding desserts and snacks.
People who followed a calorie-restricted diet for two years had lower blood pressure, lower total cholesterol, a lower risk of metabolic syndrome and improved insulin sensitivity. The study was published last Thursday in the journal “The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology”.
A reduction of 300 calories per day refers to the average calorie reduction of study participants, said Dr. William Kraus, distinguished professor at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, who was senior author of the study. “Exercise and diet are the two most effective and easy to implement measures that can improve our heart health,” he said. “There is no drug on the market that could produce the effects we saw in this study from moderate calorie restriction.”
The study included 218 healthy adults ages 21 to 50 at three clinical centers in the United States. Between 2007 and 2010, 143 of these adults were randomly assigned to begin a calorie-restricted diet - meaning they attempted to reduce 25% of their normal consumption - while the remaining 75 adults followed an "ad libitum" diet, meaning that they ate normally.
The adults in the first group reduced their calorie intake by 11.9%, not the intended 25%, and consumed 2,170 calories, a reduction of 297 calories.
In each group, researchers closely monitored each adult's cholesterol levels, blood pressure and triglyceride concentration over a two-year period. These factors can influence the risk of developing heart disease.
The researchers found that in the calorie restriction group, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels decreased significantly after one year and the change was maintained after two years, while the changes in the ad libitum group were very small. The reduction in blood pressure was evident after just six months and blood pressure levels remained constant until the end of the study.
