Low carb diets are the best way to lose weight and prevent cardiovascular disease, according to researchers from Tulane University, Kaiser Permanente and Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

In the study that was conducted, researchers worked with 148 men and women, of which half were black and half were white and all of whom were considered obese based on body mass index (BMI), according to the NY Daily News.

Participants were reportedly randomly assigned to follow a low-carb diet of less than 4-g per day or a low-fat diet in which less than 30% of their daily calorie intake came from fat.

Both groups received regular dietary surveillance and no goals were set for calorie intake and exercise, although researchers reportedly say the groups' physical activity levels were similar enough to not have affected the results, according to the media outlet.

After gathering data on weight and cardiovascular risk factors in the beginning, researchers reportedly surveyed participants at intervals of three, six and 12 months during the year to take measurements and make sure they were consistently adhering to their diets.

From the group of participants, both black and white participants on the low-carbohydrate diet had lost an average of 7.7 lbs. more weight and showed a significant decrease in body fat and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease after a year than those on the low-fat diet.

The low-carb diet group also reportedly showed lower blood levels of certain fats that can indicate increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

Despite the results of this study, some experts say that the weight loss is due mostly to the drastic calorie reduction that occurs when carb-rich foods are cut from a person's daily intake, according to the publication Viral Global News.

Larger studies have shown no significant difference in weight loss between low fat and low carb diets, according to USA Today.