A new diet said to result in fast, stress-free weight loss has taken Japan by storm.

The Morning Banana Diet is possibly the world's easist diet to follow - except in Japan where its intense popularity has led to the nation's worst-ever banana shortage.

Banana importer, Dole Japan Company, has increased supplies by 25 per cent over the corresponding period last year but is still struggling to meet demand. Consequently, banana prices are soaring but with the celebrity endorsements and more than 600,000 copies of the diet books sold, demand for the fruit shows no signs of slowing.