Taking folic acid supplements for more than three years can reduce your risk of stroke by almost 30 per cent according to research from the Children’s Memorial Research Centre in Chicago.

When women eat quickly, they consume 10 per cent more calories than when they have the same meal but slow down, chewing each bite 15 to 20 times according to research from the University of Rhode Island.

Even if you’ve been burning the midnight oil try not to hit the snooze button in the morning – slot in a 20 minute afternoon nap instead.

Researchers at Cornell University found women who caught up on their sleep with small amounts of sleep in the early afternoon slept better at night and had more energy than women who had a lie in or turned in early. What is more people who nap regularly lower their risk of dying from heart disease by almost 40 % according to research from the University of Athens medical School.