Low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets can both help individuals lose extra pounds; the latter, however, is more effective in improving the mood.

Weight loss can generally improve mood and the sense of well-being in overweight individuals through affecting chemicals such as serotonin in the brain.

A new study, however, finds a considerable difference in the impact of various diets on the mood.

According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, adopting low-fat and low-carb diets both temporarily improve the mood without changing the speed of mental processing.

The long term effects, however, only remain in those following low-fat diets.

One possible explanation for the difference is that eliminating carbohydrates is such a dramatic change to the typical Western diet that volunteers may have suffered withdrawal symptoms over time, the authors said.

Scientists concluded that restricting the intake of fat rather than carbohydrates may make dieting easier on the mood.

PKH/HGH