London, February 22: Common dieting advice urges people to either eat fewer carbohydrates or less fat in order to lose weight. But as per a recent study, neither approach is better than the other for you to shed those kilos of weight. The scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine in the United Kingdom conducted a research on whether following a healthy low-carb diet would be more or less effective than those who are following a healthy low-fat diet. "We've all heard stories of a friend who went on one diet and it worked great and then another friend tried the same diet, and it didn't work at all," said Christopher Gardner, PhD, a professor of medicine and lead author of the study.

Gardner and his team of researchers assessed 609 overweight adults across the UK with ages ranging from 18 to 50 years over a period of 12 months. During the research, the participants, both men and women distributed equally were randomly assigned and instructed to follow either a healthy low-carb or a healthy low-fat diet for a year. The participants began by limiting their daily carbohydrate or fat intake to around 20 grams for the first eight weeks. After two months, they gradually began to increase their daily carbohydrate or fat intake in small quantities to reach a sustainable balance.

By the end of the study, it was found that those following the low-fat diet consumed an average of 57 grams of fat, while those following the low-carb diet consumed around 132 grams of carbohydrates.

The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, discovered that both diets led to the participants losing a similar amount of weight. The average amount of weight lost during 12 months was around 13 pounds for both men and women. However, the results differed considerably. Some people reported losing 60 pounds, while some gained around 20 pounds.

Leading Harley Street nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert believes following a restrictive diet could be detrimental to one's health in the long run. "By becoming engrossed in counting calories and restricting our food intake, which is often what a diet requires us to do, it means becoming more and more confused in regards to what it means to be healthy. This will also encourage an unhealthy relationship with food." Lambert told The Independent. Michela Vagnini, a nutritionist for Natures Plus, has advocated the support of a healthy balanced and nutritious diet for a healthy life.

"This is the key point not just for a weight loss diet but for a healthy diet to follow for life. If you start cutting out processed food and empty calories coming from junk and alcohol you will surely lose weight and feel better," Vagnini explained. The UK is the most obese country in Western Europe, with about 63 percent of adults being classified as overweight, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.