v1

causal

Analysis v1

Contested

If you're already eating a really healthy and balanced diet, cutting back on calories probably won't help you live much longer.

53

Pro

59

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

53

Community contributions welcome

53

EFFECT OF LONG-TERM CALORIC RESTRICTION ON THE PACE OF BIOLOGICAL AGING IN HEALTHY ADULTS FROM THE CALERIE TRIAL

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

The study looked at healthy people eating a good diet and found that eating less for two years slightly slowed aging, but not enough to clearly mean living longer.

Contradicting (1)

59

Community contributions welcome

59

Effect of long-term caloric restriction on DNA methylation measures of biological aging in healthy adults from the CALERIE trial

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2023 Mar

The study found that eating fewer calories slowed some biological signs of aging, even when people were already eating well. This goes against the idea that cutting calories doesn’t help if your diet is already good.

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Similar Assertions

Eating fewer calories might help your body handle a not-so-great diet better by boosting its ability to stay healthy metabolically.

37

10

77%

Cutting calories helps these lab mice live longer, no matter what kind of fat is in their food — it’s the calorie drop itself that makes the difference.

10

0

75%

Cutting calories helps these specific mice live longer, no matter what kind of fat is in their food — it’s a reliable way to extend their lives.

0

10

73%

If you're an adult with extra weight or metabolic issues, how much you eat matters way more than when you eat — cutting calories works the same whether you do intermittent fasting or just eat less every day, as long as the total calorie drop is the same.

57

0

71%

If obese people eat only during certain hours of the day without counting calories, their body may handle insulin better than if they do nothing—but it’s not any better than just eating fewer calories, and we need more research to be sure.

68

0

71%