Water may be the newest weight-loss craze. It's cheap, it's simple, and according to researchers, drinking it before meals helps you lose weight.

A study from Virginia Tech divided two groups of overweight and obese men and women into two groups. One group followed a low-fat, low-calorie diet. The second group followed the same diet, but in addition drank two cups of water before each meal. After 12 weeks, those who drank water lost almost 30 percent more weight than diet-only group.

"Drinking more water is a pretty simple strategy that may be helpful to people trying to lose weight," study leader Brenda Davy told HealthDay. "We're not saying, 'Drink more water and the body fat will melt away.' But for people who are trying to lose weight and trying to follow a low-cal diet, it's something they can do as part of that."

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