While five of the 12 subjects withdrew from the study after a chip was implanted in their stomachs, the remaining seven lost an average of 15 percent of their weight in eight months, Aftenposten reported. The study was conducted at St. Olav's Hospital in Trondheim.

"What is special is that one influences nerves in the body that in turn influence the feeling of being full," said Ronald Marvik, a medical director at the National Center for Advanced Laproscopic Surgery. "It is the same thing that happens when you eat food."

The chip was invented in the United States and was also being tested in Australia, Mexico and Hong Kong. The next step is likely to be a large U.S. trial.

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