Mayo Clinic Minute: Low-carb diet findings and cautions

A new Mayo Clinic study shows low-carbohydrate diets are slightly more effective for weight loss than low-fat diets.

"Our review found those following the low-carbohydrate diet lost about 2.5 to 5 pounds more than those following comparison diets, which usually were calorie-restricted and or low-fat," says Dr. Heather Fields, an internal medicine physician at Mayo Clinic and the study's lead author.

Dr. Fields says, although no short-term negative health consequences were noted, the research did not examine the long-term implications of a low-carb diet.

In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Fields further explains the study's findings and notes important cautions that come with a diet low in carbohydrates. Jeff Olsen reports.

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