In an era of TV dinners, fast food and on-the-go snacking, the pleasure of languidly savouring a meal has become a luxury largely consigned to special occasions.

But a new study suggests that taking the time to stop and enjoy each mouthful could be the secret of a healthy heart, and a slimmer waistline.

Research by Japanese scientists has found that people who eat slowly and mindfully are less likely to pile on the pounds or develop metabolic syndrome - the name for a cluster of dangerous health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity which can damage the heart.

For the new study, researchers followed more than 1,000 middle-aged men and women for five years, monitoring their eating speed, and health.

They found that just 2.3 per cent of the slow eaters developed metabolic syndrome over the study period, compared with 6.5 per cent of medium speed eaters, and 11.6 per cent of the fast eaters.

It means that fast eaters who gobbled down their food were five times more likely to develop symptoms which raised their risk of a heart attack, diabetes and stroke. The faster eaters were also more than three times more likely to have gained three stone in weight.