Many will not believe it, because dieting is usually linked to a long and very unpleasant process in which the person gets in a bad mood when they have to deprive themselves of eating what they would like, but, according to a study carried out by researchers from the Pennington Center for Biomedical Research in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, if a person of normal weight or slightly overweight reduces their calorie intake, they will improve their mood and their sex life. It will also ensure that you can sleep better.
The study, conducted over a two-year period and recently published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine , sampled more than 200 healthy men and women between the ages of 20 and 50. All of them with a body mass index (BMI) between 22.0 and 28.0 (that is, their weight was normal or they were somewhat overweight, but in no case were they obese).
The people who participated in the study were divided into two groups, so that those of one committed to eating a diet that involved ingesting 25% fewer calories , while those who were part of the control group continued eating the same as before .
After the two-year period, the members of the group who had switched to eating fewer calories had improved their mood, increased their sexual desire, slept better and felt less stressed compared to those in the other group.
“We have realized that those who have a normal weight or are slightly overweight and want to lose weight should not worry about the fact that it may decrease their quality of life. In reality, what they can expect is to feel better, ” he explains Corby Martin, director of the Ingestive Behavior Laboratory at the center that carried out the research and director of the study.
They lost an average of 7.6 kg
To tell the truth, the individuals in the group that had to restrict calories by 25% stayed at an average of 11.9% , and, although they did not reach the initially planned goal, they managed to lose an average of 7.6 kilos, while the the control group experienced almost no change.
It is impossible to deduce whether the benefits would have been greater if the caloric restriction had reached 25% or, conversely, reaching that figure would have had more negative than positive consequences . This is a question that the study authors ask themselves, since, according to the data obtained, they can only deduce that a 12% reduction in calorie intake would provide benefits for quality of life.
In fact, there are studies that raise the important negative effects that diets based on excessive caloric restriction and without proper medical supervision can report, since they can lead to malnutrition and, therefore, health problems . Anemia, depression, irritability, drowsiness, tiredness … are some of the risks that an intake that is too low in calories can carry us.
