LONDON -- Electric shock is the latest method of curbing hunger and helping people lose weight.

An implantable gastric stimulator device slows down peristalsis -- the process of muscle contractions which forces food along the digestive tract.

This means a person does not feel hungry again as quickly as they normally would.

Training people to eat smaller quantities is an important part of helping the obese lose weight, reports the BBC News On-Line.

In the UK, 20% of adults are classified as obese.

The electric shock treatment is an alternative to stomach stapling, where the stomach or intestines are sewed or stapled together.

The idea was according to IRNA originally developed by Italian doctor Valerio Cigaina, but it is being marketed by the U.S. company Transneuronix, based in New Jersey.

It is available in Europe and its makers hope to find a distributor in the UK.

The device is implanted near nerves in the stomach wall.

It transmits a small 10-milliampere current 12 times a minute for two seconds a time.