Low-carbohydrate diets, the embattled alternative to low-fat eating, have gotten a new boost: a new study has found low-carb diets help people shed pounds more quickly than low-fat regimes.

Researchers in the United States and Switzerland analyzed five clinical trials comparing 447 middle-aged Americans, 222 of whom followed a low-carb diet, with the rest eating a low-fat diet. After six months those following a low-carbohydrate diet lost more weight than people on a low-fat diet, but that weight leveled off at a year.

"We showed that -- at least for up to one year -- a low-carb diet is relatively safe and as effective as a low-fat diet," said lead author Alain Nordmann, a doctor at the University of Basel in Switzerland. "But this leaves a question mark on the safety on low-carb diets in the long-term," he added. All of the trials were conducted in 2003 or later.

Find out more about study findings related to the low carb diet at http://www.upi.com.