Here’s the scary reason why you should never eat birthday cake

And now we think about it, it makes perfect sense…

In some of the worst news, it turns out that eating birthday cake is actually a very bad idea.

It has nothing to do with the calories that you will consume with each slice, or the chances of eating bits of dried candle wax that have melted onto the icing – it’s actually all down to hygiene.

Think about it – right before you’re about to take your slice, the birthday girl or boy blows germs and saliva all over the dessert in the age-old ritual of blowing out your candles.

So essentially - that slice of cake that we're so eager to tuck into is actually covered in germs.

A group of researchers at Clemson University, South Carolina, recently looked into the matter, studying the spread of bacteria on birthday cakes.

The study’s results didn’t make us feel any better about the theory, with the team discovering that blowing out the candles increases bacteria on the top of the cake by almost 1,400 percent. Yes, really.

Dr Paul Dawson who led the study explained how he hoped the results wouldn’t deter people from blowing out their candles, noting that unless the candle-blower was unwell, it should be harmless.

So next time you’re at a birthday party, check if the candle-blower is looking a bit peaky before accepting your slice.