A new study has revealed that people who suffer from high blood pressure, and also want to drop some weight, might just be able to keep their BP levels low, as well as drop pounds, by following a diet routine consisting of foods which are low in carbohydrates.

A low-carb diet might be a good alternative to many popular medicines as well.

In the research conducted, overweight or obese subjects on a low-carb diet managed to lose almost as much weight as those who had pulled back their intake of food rich in fats and were put on a weight-loss aid called orlistat, marketed as Xenical or Alli. An added advantage for the people on a low carbohydrates diet was that their blood pressure levels also managed to drop.

For the sake of study, researchers divided 146 subjects into two groups, with one assigned to receive instructions on eating less carbohydrates and the other put on 120 mg of orlistat three times a day, in addition to receiving instructions on eating right.

Analysis of data collected over the first 6 months of the study helped the researchers conclude that a diet low in carbs promotes weight loss and keeps blood pressure under check as well.

Details of the study have been published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.