Ananova:

A new weight loss pill made out of nappy material swells up to the size of a tennis ball in the stomach.

Scientists say the invention will make people feel full for about two hours, reports the Daily Mirror.

Italian researcher Alessandro Sannino, the first person to take the pill, said: "It's the same as you feel after a plate of spaghetti.

"It's not uncomfortable. You don't feel it expanding in your stomach, but after about 15 or 20 minutes, you feel full.

"You take the pill 30 minutes before each main meal so that by the time the food is ready you don't want to eat so much.

"I could eat lunch if I wanted, but only a small portion, or an ice cream."

Scientists in Naples stumbled across the idea while designing a new material for nappies.

They discovered an absorbent compound which can swell up to 1,000 times its original size.

The pill, which could be used in the war on growing obesity levels by next May, is being tested on 90 people in Rome.