So, regular sex could be the key to maintaining a youthful appearance

Forget the pots and potions, we've found the true elixir of life – and it's all about getting busy in the bedroom.

Scientists in California have found that regular sexual intimacy is associated with delayed aging process in women – no really. 

A preliminary study published early this year, found that women who reported having sex during the course of the week tended to have significantly longer telomeres (the protective ends caps on our DNA that that protect the chromosome from fraying), than those who didn't. 

Tomás Cabeza de Baca, lead researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, said: “Based on this body of research, we wanted to explore whether there was a health-enhancing relationship between sexual intimacy, telomere length, a biological index of systemic aging and health.”

“We wanted to examine whether sexual intimacy, within the context of a committed long-term relationship, may offer protective benefits to these markers of general health.”

The study, which looked at 129 women in long-term relationships, found that recent sexual imtimacy was positively associated with two measures of telomere length.

They also factored in  the women's overall relationship satisfaction, perceived stress levels, and partner support.

Of course, this study isn't without it's limitations.

It's quite possible that the women who reported the most sexual activity also just so happened to be the healthiest in the group.

But hey, having more sex aint gonna kill you, so knock yourself out!