Low-carbohydrate diet might help you shed those extra pounds, but it can have an adverse impact on your cognition skills, says a new study.

Tufts University researchers found that when dieters eliminated carbohydrates from their meals, they performed more poorly on memory-based tasks.

"This study demonstrates that the food you eat can have an immediate impact on cognitive behaviour," said Holly A. Taylor, professor of psychology at Tufts and corresponding author of the study.

"The popular low-carb, no-carb diets have the strongest potential for negative impact on thinking and cognition," Taylor added.

While the brain uses glucose as its primary fuel, it has no way of storing it. Rather, the body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which is carried to the brain through the blood stream and used immediately by nerve cells for energy.

Reduced carbohydrate intake should thus reduce the brain's source of energy.

The study included 19 women ages 22 to 55 who were allowed to select the diet plan they preferred.

Nine women chose a low-carbohydrate diet and 10 selected the low-calorie diet.

They were asked to complete five testing sessions that assessed cognitive skills, including attention, long-term and short-term memory, and visual attention, and spatial memory.

The first session was held before participants began their diets, the next two sessions occurred during the first week of the diet, which corresponded to the week when low-carb dieters eliminated carbohydrates.