A study at Italy's National Research Council came up with a new option for people fitting against obesity. A pill which is in powdery form has to be consumed thirty minutes before taking meals. The research team found that the in take of food, if the pill is taken, will be so low.

The pill is made from a hydrogel. So far it has been tested in 20 people, and is currently being tested in another 90 overweight people. The main issue associated with the pill is that the team has to confirm that there are no major the side effects.

Professor Luigi Ambrosio, lead researcher in the team said “One of our researchers tried the pill - he took it at about 11am and was still full at six in the evening. It's like eating a bowl of spaghetti. We expect the results of the trial in October and they we will try to launch the product in May 2008. It principle it seems possible but there would have to be a lot of safety testing.”

There may have wide variety of needy for pill – as it can be used by people who are obese, dieters, astronauts and the list goes on.

Professor Paul Hatton, of the Biomaterials Research Group at the University of Sheffield insisted on the methods to check the safety. He said, “There are plenty of ways of making hydrogels that are safe, they are used in medicines and prostheses. It principle it seems possible but there would have to be a lot of safety testing.”

The pill, which is powdery when dry, will become a jelly-like ball but when swallowed with a glass of water. It is made from cellulose so that it can break down in the body and can easily pass through the digestive system.

 The research team also found that the pill’s ‘upshots’ are akin to ‘gastric banding’ - a surgical process that trim down the size of the stomach. The team said that people can still take their meal but they cannot take in large quantities.

Experts also mention about the problem if one goes on taking such pills. Dr David Haslam, clinical director of the National Obesity Forum said “The theory has been tried and tested in the past but it's not been that successful. We'd need much bigger trials but it's a reasonable enough idea. However, it would have to be given with the appropriate nutritional advice; you can't live on such tablets.”