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Consuming a low-calorie diet may help improve your mood and sexual drive, a new study has found. According to the study conducted by a team of researchers from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, cutting down on calorie intake not only aids in weight loss but it also significantly improves mood, sexual drive, relationship quality and stress levels even in non-obese individuals.

The new findings contradict the general notion that any low-calorie diet results in lower stamina, irritability, and decreased libido. Previous studies have shown no positive effects of calorie restriction in healthy humans. For the purpose of the study, the research team analyzed 218 non-obese individuals with body mass index ranging from 22 to 28. Of the 218 participants, the average age was nearly 38 and 70 percent were women.

The participants were divided into two groups. The first group was asked to stick to a diet that restricted calories by 25 per cent, while, the second group members were allowed to eat whatever they wanted.

Self-report questionnaires were used to measure mood, quality of life, sleep and sexual function. Data were collected at baseline, a year and two years.

After two years, it was found that participants on the calorie-restricted diet reported better moods, less stress, increased sex drive and better quality of sleep, compared to the ones who didn't cut their calories, reported The Indian Express.

The study found that a 25 percent calorie restriction over two years by non-obese adults caused lead to better health and improved the quality of life. In fact, the calorie restriction group lost an average of 16.7 pounds, while participants with no calorie restrictions experienced no significant weight change.

"Calorie restriction among primarily overweight and obese persons has been found to improve quality of life, sleep, and sexual function, and the results of the present study indicate that two years of calorie restriction is unlikely to negatively affect these factors in healthy adults; rather, calorie restriction is likely to provide some improvement," said Corby K. Martin, associate professor at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in the US, reported Tech Times.

Findings from the research have been published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.