New Delhi: Adults already at a healthy weight or carrying just a few extra pounds, can benefit from cutting around 300 calories a day, new research shows. Cutting the calories significantly improved already good levels of cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and other markers, according to the study. The findings come from a randomized, controlled trial of 218 adults under age 50.
The trial, part of an ongoing project with the National Institutes of Health called CALERIE (Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy) continues to build on the researchers’ hypothesis that it’s not just weight loss that leads to these improvements, but some more complex metabolic change triggered by eating fewer calories than what’s expended.
“There’s something about caloric restriction, some mechanism we don’t yet understand that results in these improvements,” says lead author William E. Kraus, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at Duke University.
“We have collected blood, muscle, and other samples from these participants and will continue to explore what this metabolic signal or magic molecule might be,” William added.
For the first month of the trial, participants ate three meals a day that would cut one-fourth of their daily calories to help train them on the new diet. They could choose from six different meal plans that accommodated cultural preferences or other needs. The study appears in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
