New Delhi:
No birthday is complete without cutting cakes, blowing candles and then making a wish. Not only kids but even adults look forward to the old birthday ritual of blowing the candles and enjoying the sweet icing. However doing the same is not so good for health, as per a new study. The study undertaken by researchers of Clemson University in South Carolina indicated that blowing out a candles on a birthday cake increases the growth of bacteria on the dessert.
You may not think about it, but there are chances you spit out saliva on the cake while you blow the candles. Human mouth contains many bacteria, although not all are harmful. The research revealed that the saliva which is spread when we blow out a birthday cake increases the bacteria icing by a whopping 1400 percent. The point to be noted here is that it won't cause any serious health hazard unless the person who blows the candle is sick or suffers from any infection.
It was Dr. Paul Dawson who conducted the research along with his group of students. The conclusion of the study made them think about the safety of food. He told Daily Mail Online that the idea struck him while talking to his daughter.
The team while conducting the experiment found out huge growth of bacteria on the cake's icing after one blow of candles. As a matter of fact, there were certain people who spread more bacteria compared to others. Dawson commented that this should not hamper the practice of cutting cakes and blowing candles during birthdays.
Dr. Paul said that in case the issue was serious it would have caused a lot of commotion, considering the fact that is common to blow cakes on birthdays. All said and done, precaution must still be taken.
