Posted Nov 17, 2009
By Simeon Bennett
Bloomberg News
Dieters eating food high in carbohydrates and low on fat improved their mood longer than those on a low-carb, high-fat regime similar to the Atkins diet, researchers say.
A study of 106 overweight or obese people in Australia found those on the low-fat diet, which included bread, pasta and rice, were less angry, depressed and confused after one year than those who ate fewer carbs and more meat and dairy products, according to the study published this week in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. Both diets were equally effective at reducing weight, the research showed.
More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings by researchers from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation contradict earlier studies that showed no mood changes in people linked to different diets.
“This outcome suggests that some aspects of the low- carbohydrate diet may have had detrimental effects on mood that, over the term of one year, negated any positive effects of weight loss,” scientists said in the latest study.
Date: Nov 11, 2009