Shake it all over

America's population will have passed the 300 million point by the time this month's Manufacturing Chemist goes to press, and if newspaper reports are to be believed, obesity will continue to be a significant problem in the 'land of plenty'.

A staggering 58 billion burgers are consumed annually in the States and 54 million Americans are obese. But what can be done to solve this quite literally big issue?

The Disco Men, a high-energy disco band, have set out to help people shed the pounds through disco dancing. Computer users can log on to the band's website every night and spend 30 minutes dancing to music performed live by the band.

'We want to encourage America to join us and dance their way to better health while having fun,' says Dynamite, lead singer of the group. 'What better way than in the comfort of your own home and in the simplest way - dancing.'

Each night the band performs a different set of disco songs and dedicates each show to a new city. In between, Dynamite motivates the listeners with fun lingo.

'If you want to get down, you have to get up,' yelps the singer: 'So when you get up, it's time to get down! So let's get on down and boogie!'

Recent research has found that moderate dancing for 25 minutes can help burn up to 450 calories.

So, what songs will the corpulent dancers lose some pounds to? Perhaps motivation could be found in the Prodigy's Fat of the Land album, Meatloaf's Greatest Hits, or anything by Demis Roussos or former Pop Idol Michelle McManus ..