What you drink may be more important that what you eat when trying to lose weight, doctors from Johns Hopkins University said.

The study followed 810 people from 25 to 79 years old for 18 months.

"Both liquid and solid calories were associated with weight change, however only a reduction in liquid calorie intake was shown to significantly affect weight loss during the six-month follow up," said Dr. Benjamin Caballero.

His study found that people who started drinking less lost half a pound over six months. Those who cut out one sugar-sweetened drink a week lost more than a pound over six months.

The study, which included unannounced calls to see what people had eaten in the previous 24 hours, found that people got 37 percent of their liquid calories from sweetened drinks, rather than juice, water, milk or other beverages.

The researchers said that the work shows that cutting sugary drinks such as soda from diets could help people avoid obesity and the health problems that go along with it. Diet sodas were in a separate category from regular soda.

The results were published in the April 1, 2009, issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.