Staying physically active could help cut your chances of developing cancer according to scientists from the National Cancer Centre in Japan. They looked at 80,000 men and women aged between 45 and 77 and found the most active women had a 16 percent lower risk of developing cancer than the least active, while the most active men had a 13 per cent lower risk. Physical activity was found to particularly cut the risk of stomach cancer in women and of colon, liver and pancreatic cancer in men.

Another good reason to tuck into oily fish is that more research has confirmed that its omega-3 oils can help prevent heart attacks. The study, from Harvard School of Public Health, has found that omega-3 oils can cut the risk for both men and women by 59 per cent. So eat your weekly portions of oily fish, such as mackerel and salmon, or if you don’t eat fish have a tablespoon of flaxseed oil or six walnuts a day.

Regular massage can lower blood pressure, a US study has found. Researchers looked at a group of married couples who were given portable blood pressure monitors. Half the couples were told to massage their partners for 30 minutes three times a week while the other half went about their lives as normal. At the end of the four week experiment, both men and women in the massage group had significantly higher levels of oxytocin, a hormone that counteracts stress. The husbands in the group also had lower blood pressure readings than at the start of the study, whereas the non massage group saw no change.