Cutting carbs cuts organ's fat levels.

• Position: Liver Disease - Brief article

Curbing carbohydrates is more effective than cutting calories for individuals who want to reduce the amount of fat in their liver quickly, report researchers in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"What this study tells us is that, if your doctor says that you need to reduce the amount of fat in your liver, you can do something within a month," promises internist Jeffrey Browning, the study's lead author.

The results could have implications for treating numerous diseases, including diabetes, insulin resistance, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD. The disease, characterized by high levels of triglycerides in the liver, affects as many as one-third of American adults. It can lead to inflammation, cirrhosis, and cancer.

Although the study was not designed to determine which diet was more effective for losing weight, both the low-calorie and -carbohydrate dieters lost an average of 10 pounds in two weeks. Browning cautions that the findings...