Calorie cutters said their sleep and relationships improved, too
MONDAY, May 2, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Calorie restriction may improve health, mood, sexual function, and stress levels even in non-obese individuals, according to research published online May 2 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Corby Martin, Ph.D., director for behavioral sciences and epidemiology with the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., and colleagues recruited 220 people with a body mass index between 22 and 28 kg/m². Average age was 37.9, and 70 percent were women. Almost two-thirds of the participants were asked to restrict their daily calories by 25 percent for two years, while the other third had no restrictions.
By the end of the second year, participants on the calorie-restricted diet had lost nearly 17 pounds on average, or 10.4 percent of their initial weight. There was no significant weight change among the participants with no restrictions. The group restricting their calories also experienced improved mood, including less depression; better quality of life; improved sleep; and enhanced sexual drive and better relationships.
“Calorie restriction among primarily overweight and obese persons has been found to improve quality of life, sleep, and sexual function, and the results of the present study indicate that two years of calorie restriction is unlikely to negatively affect these factors in healthy adults; rather, calorie restriction is likely to provide some improvement,” the authors conclude.
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