Researchers found that when they put middle-aged male rats on a diet with 15% or 35% fewer calories, it helped their reproductive health at first. But after a year on the diet, these benefits went away, and only one-third of the dieting rats still showed normal mating behavior compared to all of them at six months.

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

10

Community contributions welcome

10

Effect of Chronic Moderate Caloric Restriction on the Reproductive Function in Aged Male Wistar Rats

Cohort Study

Animal

2022 Mar 16

The study found that cutting calories helped older rats' reproductive health for a while, but after a year, it didn't work as well anymore, which matches what the claim says.

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No contradicting evidence found

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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.

Source Study

Effect of Chronic Moderate Caloric Restriction on the Reproductive Function in Aged Male Wistar Rats

Score: 10

DOI: 10.3390/nu14061256

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