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Even though low-fat diets are the high-fad food at present, researchers find that they are "not more effective than higher-fat diets", even if they have the same amount of calories in fighting the pounds.

Hence, low-fat diets do not really lead to better or long-term weight loss than other kinds, records a study by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH), according to Live Science

Scientists probed 53 cases of people on low-fat and low-carb diets, as well as higher-fat and no particular diet. It was found that the low-fat diet is useful only when it is compared to the "no diet or usual diet" technique. Its long-term effectiveness also depends on how intensely it is followed.

"Despite the pervasive dogma that one needs to cut fat from their diet in order to lose weight, the existing scientific evidence does not support low-fat diets over other dietary interventions for long-term weight loss," lead study author Deirdre Tobias from the Division of Preventive Medicine at BWH said in a press release. "In fact, we did not find evidence that is particularly supportive of any specific proportion of calories from fat for meaningful long-term weight loss."

Hence, those who are struggling to lose weight should go beyond beyond fat and carb calories and just think of "healthy eating patterns, whole foods and portion sizes."

Still, those who are trying to lose weight should not leave out fat, but might still be favouring healthier food choices.

"We don't eat calories per se - we eat foods," Tobias, an instructor at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, told Live Science. "The focus needs to shift away from specific nutrients - carbs and fats - to a discussion of healthy foods and eating patterns."

The study was published in the online Oct. 29 issue of the journal The Lancet.