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.