The fascination with low-carb versus low-fat diet continues; the latest news comes from a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine released Monday that found that people on both diets lost about the same amount of weight over two years. However, the low-carb group had an edge in raising HDL (good) cholesterol and lowering diastolic blood pressure

The study looked at 153 people who were randomly assigned to a low-carb diet, and 154 to a low-fat diet. The low-carb group limited carbohydrate intake to 20 grams per day for the first 12 weeks, then gradually increased fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy foods until they reached a desired weight. The low-fat group kept daily calories to 1,200 to 1,500, and fat to 30% of their diet.

Both groups also took part in a two-year behavioral program that focused on how to manage relapses, self-monitoring, and an emphasis on moderate physical activity.

Participants in both groups lost about 11% of their beginning weight at six months and a year after the study started, but gained some of the weight back. After two years, both groups had a 7% weight loss.

Although some health issues didn’t vary between the groups, others did. The low-carb group […]