Study

CALERIE biobank epigenetic aging analysis

Belsky DW, Huffman KM, Pieper CF, et al.

PRIMARY 2018
Summary Can eating fewer calories slow the body’s biological aging in people? Show / hide ↓

Researchers studied stored blood samples from 218 healthy adults in a two-year calorie-reduction trial. Some people were asked to eat about 25% fewer calories, while others continued their usual diets. The researchers measured DNA methylation, chemical tags that help control how genes work, and used these tags to estimate biological age. Calorie restriction changed some aging-related tags, but it did not clearly slow the main measures of biological aging.

What this means for you: This does not show that calorie restriction makes people biologically younger. It is not a reason to buy an anti-aging product or sharply cut calories, especially since the measures were indirect and the study lasted only two years.

early evidence
DesignPRIMARY
TierTier 2, Product RCT (not peer-reviewed)
Year2018
JournalJournals of Gerontology: Series A
Added to NO1GEVITYMay 26, 2026

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