Having regular sex will keep you youthful and we're here for it

Well, if we HAVE to...

Words by Jadie Troy-Pryde

You may not have been bothered about the fact that men burn more calories than women do during sex (because, let's face it, we're doing it for the post-coital afterglow not the exercise), but here's something that's sure to pique your interest - having sex on a regular basis could actually be the secret to eternal youth.

Okay, maybe not eternal, but a new study has shown that women who have sex once a week are able to slow down the ageing process.

According to research published in Psychoneuroendocrinology earlier this year, scientists looked at the length of DNA strand protectors called telomeres in 129 mothers, all of whom were in committed relationships. These strands can measure your health - as you age, they get shorter, and when they are shorter you're more likely to develop degenerative diseases and premature death.

While looking at the womens' telomeres, they also took into consideration how satisfied each individual was in their relationship and their stress levels, as well as encouraging them to keep daily notes about partner support, conflict and intimacy over a seven day period.

But the most interesting outcome was that the length of the womens' telomeres correlated with the frequency that they had sex with their partners. Those who got between the sheets once a week had significantly longer telomeres - and factors such as the relationship satisfaction and stress had no bearing on the final results.

Of course, it is worth mentioning that the pool of participants was small - however, we're going to let the results speak for themselves.

More sex = longer life.

That's our weekend plans sorted.