Weight loss on a talking plate

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It works by weighing the food and calculating the rate at which it disappears. A graphic shows a healthy speed at which the user should be eating, and compares it with their actual rate. If they are guzzling too quickly then a helpful computer voice reminds them to slow down and to think about how they are feeling.

It is based on very sound and simple science. We have long known that those who wolf their food tend to put on more weight than those who linger over their food and chew each mouthful 20 times. In fact a Japanese study that monitored the eating habits of 3,000 people found that men who eat fast were 84 per cent more likely to be overweight.

Investigation has shown that speed-eating overrides the mechanisms that tell the brain that the stomach is full. Levels of a hormone called ghrelin, produced when the stomach empties, decrease as the stomach fills with food. But it takes around 20 minutes for this message to reach the brain, and a fast eater can pack away a huge number of calories in that time.

Most of us learn to eat quickly as children, a skill necessary to ensure that we get second helpings or so that we can leave the table as quickly as possible and get back to more exciting pursuits. It could well be the shortage of time that we all now suffer from that is a major cause of our current obesity crisis.

While this plate will certainly have its critics and many will think the £1,500 that it costs should be spent on life-saving drugs instead, we have to admit that diets rarely work and bariatric surgery is considerably more expensive and comes with significant risks. If this simple idea works it may well be the saviour of future generations. I only wish that I had thought of it first.

Follow me on Twitter @DoctorChristian