Cheese is the secret to long life according to new research

Have we got any cheese fans in the house?

We love the stuff - on toast, melted on steak, piled on a pizza, grated on chilli, sliced on sandwiches or just raw chunks of the stuff from the fridge when no-one's watching. If anyone ever told you to stop eating so much damn cheese, then show them this. New European research reckons that eating the good stuff could actually slow down the ageing process and add years to your life. A study in scientific journal Nature Medicine has linked cheese consumption with people living longer. It all comes down to a compound found in mature cheese called spermidine (no giggling at the back, please). The study found that people who regularly eat foods rich in the chemical - found in mature cheese, but also in things like peas, corn, soy beans and whole grains - are likely to live longer. They first tested it out on mice and rats...because if you've seen the film Ratatouille, they love cheese (and there's the whole thing about their genetic and biological characteristics closely resemble those of humans). What they found was that it increased the average lifespan of the rodents, according to the Daily Mail. They then surveyed 800 Italians on their diet. Interestingly those who reported consuming a higher amount of spermidine in their diet were also found to were found to have lower blood pressure, a 40% lower risk of heart failure and a reduced risk for other cardiovascular diseases. Eating cheese (in moderation, obviously) cut the risk of two of the biggest killers in the Western world - high blood pressure and heart disease. But a 2015 study also found that us cheese lovers have higher butyrate levels - a compound associated with metabolism and reduced obesity. Plans are obviously under way to harness the power of spermidine into a dietary supplement to improve people's health. But we think we'll just stick to Brie, Camembert, Cheddar and Stilton, thank you very much.