Treatments and supplements · Calorie and energy restriction
Does simply cutting calories work best for weight loss?
What we can tell you today: how thoroughly this has been studied.
Thoroughly studied
8 studies, of which 5 bring together the results of several trials in people. This is as strong as evidence gets.
5 Repeated evidence 5 studies
4 Large controlled trial 3 studies
This says how thoroughly something has been studied — not whether it works for you. What each study actually found is in the study itself, and in the plain-language write-ups we are adding.
Appears under: Weight loss and GLP-1 · Living longer in good health
The studies
- 5 Repeated evidence
European Guidelines for Obesity Management in Adults with a Very Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
2021 · Obesity facts
- 5 Repeated evidence
Intermittent Fasting versus Continuous Calorie Restriction: Which Is Better for Weight Loss?
2022 · Nutrients
- 5 Repeated evidence
Comparing caloric restriction regimens for effective weight management in adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.
2024 · The international journal of behavioral nutrition and p · 3,363 participants
- 5 Repeated evidence
Is Caloric Restriction Associated with Better Healthy Aging Outcomes? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
2021 · Nutrients · 704 participants
- 5 Repeated evidence
Efficiency of time-restricted eating and energy restriction on anthropometrics and body composition in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
2026 · The international journal of behavioral nutrition and p · 1,242 participants
- 4 Large controlled trial
Weight maintenance and additional weight loss with liraglutide after low-calorie-diet-induced weight loss: the SCALE Maintenance randomized study.
2014 · International journal of obesity (2005) · 422 participants
- 4 Large controlled trial
An internet-based platform with a low-calorie dietary intervention improves cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight and obese people in China: Half-year follow-up results of a randomized controlled trial.
2024 · Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 220 participants
- 4 Large controlled trial
Effect of orlistat on weight regain and cardiovascular risk factors following a very-low-energy diet in abdominally obese patients: a 3-year randomized, placebo-controlled study.
2007 · Diabetes care · 383 participants