London, Jan 23 (IANS): Next time when you look at your overweight partner, do not get frustrated as he is the one who can beat slimmer men at least on one front -- in between the sheets.

According to a year-long survey involving 200 men in Turkey, overweight men with obvious bellies can last an amazing five minutes longer during sex than slim men.

For the study, the team from Erciyes University in Kayseri, Turkey, looked at the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and male sexual performance.

On an average, men with a higher BMI lasted an average of 7.3 minutes in bed.

The slimmer of the group barely lasted two minutes and were more likely to suffer from premature ejaculation, newvision.co.ug reported.

"So let us say a guy has sex 100 times annually. If he has a belly, he is going to spend approximately eight hours -- an entire work day -- more per year in sex with his lover than if he has a six-pack. That is a substantial amount of time," the report added.

According to the researchers, apart from lifestyle issues, more belly fat could be a result of more estradiol -- a female sex hormone.

Men with slightly higher estradiol are more likely to develop a big belly, they added.