The employees were randomly assigned to three diet groups and the results indicated that members of the low-fat group lost an average of 6.4 pounds, while those in the low-carb and Mediterranean groups lost about 10.
The low-fat diet with no more than 30 percent of calories from fat restricted calories and cholesterol and focused on low-fat grains, vegetables and fruits as options. The Mediterranean diet offered the same amount of calories, fat and cholesterol restrictions but focused on poultry, fish, olive oil and nuts.
The low-carb diet had restricted intake for carbohydrates, but none for calories or fat and urged dieters to choose vegetarian sources of fat and protein.
The study, published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, also found that a combination of low-carb and Mediterranean diets is better for cardiovascular health than the low-fat and/or low-carb diet.
The results also suggested that people with cholesterol problems should follow the low-carb diet while for those at risk for diabetes the Mediterranean diet provided more health benefits.
