Food and drink once branded as bad for you might actually have hidden benefits, according to researchers, helping to beat everything from cancer to boosting your heart.
From butter to beer, scientists are discovering that some of our top vices might not be so awful after all.
Butter
For years we've been told to avoid slathering layers of butter on our bread in order to prevent high cholesterol levels and safeguard our hearts.
But now a top doctor has turned that advice on its head, claiming that saturated fat in milk, butter and cheese might not be as bad as first thought.
In fact, cardiologist Aseem Malhotra from Croydon University Hospital says that it might even help protect our tickers, while many low fat products contain high levels of sugar.
He says: "If you have a choice between butter and margarine, have the butter every time."
Eggs
You can now safely go to work on an egg again. They were once thought to raise cholesterol levels and put strain on your heart.
But researchers have found that cholesterol in eggs has very little effect on the levels recorded in our blood.
And the experts have not found a link between eating eggs and heart disease.
The breakfast favourites are also a great source of protein as well as vitamin D, which many of us don't get enough of in the winter.
Pizza
While too much pizza is definitely bad for your waistline, a slice or two may help your body fend off cancer.
Scientists found that people who ate the Italian favourite at least twice a week were 59% less likely to develop cancer of the oesophagus, had a 34% lower risk of throat cancer and a 26% better chance of avoiding colon cancer.
Dr Silvano Gallus, of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmaceutical Research in Milan, who led the research, says: "We knew that tomato sauce could offer protection against tumours.
"But we did not expect pizza to offer such protective powers."
Beer
Enjoy your pint - it could help you live longer. American researchers have found that those who drink a moderate amount of alcohol actually outlive those who don't touch the stuff.
In fact people who shun booze are 56% more likely to have a heart attack than regular drinkers according to the findings from Virginia Tech University.
Research in Japan also found that alcohol could actually help protect your liver.
Coffee
Lots of athletes now swear by coffee as a small amount actually increases performance if taken before exercise.
Regular consumption is also linked to the prevention of type 2 diabetes, while research in South Korea found that just the smell of coffee could actually make you less stressed.
Steak
Eating red meat could be a great way to give your body the perfect boost.
While scoffing too much processed meat has been linked to an increased risk of cancer, tucking into juicy lean beef cuts is not necessarily bad for you.
A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that eating lean beef regularly improves cholesterol levels.
It is thought something called stearic acid in the meat could be responsible for the benefits, while steak is also packed with iron vitamin B12 and zinc for added goodness.
Chewing Gum
There's a good reason why chomping on gum is a favourite of football bosses.
Scientific research has found that it's actually good for the brain.
Reaction times are up to 10% faster in those that chew gum according to findings in the Brain and Cognition journal.
Enjoying a stick of gum appears to boost blood flow to the brain leading to alertness.
From butter to beer, scientists are discovering that some of our top vices might not be so awful after all.
Butter
For years we've been told to avoid slathering layers of butter on our bread in order to prevent high cholesterol levels and safeguard our hearts.
But now a top doctor has turned that advice on its head, claiming that saturated fat in milk, butter and cheese might not be as bad as first thought.
In fact, cardiologist Aseem Malhotra from Croydon University Hospital says that it might even help protect our tickers, while many low fat products contain high levels of sugar.
He says: "If you have a choice between butter and margarine, have the butter every time."
Eggs
You can now safely go to work on an egg again. They were once thought to raise cholesterol levels and put strain on your heart.
But researchers have found that cholesterol in eggs has very little effect on the levels recorded in our blood.
And the experts have not found a link between eating eggs and heart disease.
The breakfast favourites are also a great source of protein as well as vitamin D, which many of us don't get enough of in the winter.
Pizza
While too much pizza is definitely bad for your waistline, a slice or two may help your body fend off cancer.
Scientists found that people who ate the Italian favourite at least twice a week were 59% less likely to develop cancer of the oesophagus, had a 34% lower risk of throat cancer and a 26% better chance of avoiding colon cancer.
Dr Silvano Gallus, of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmaceutical Research in Milan, who led the research, says: "We knew that tomato sauce could offer protection against tumours.
"But we did not expect pizza to offer such protective powers."
Beer
Enjoy your pint - it could help you live longer. American researchers have found that those who drink a moderate amount of alcohol actually outlive those who don't touch the stuff.
In fact people who shun booze are 56% more likely to have a heart attack than regular drinkers according to the findings from Virginia Tech University.
Research in Japan also found that alcohol could actually help protect your liver.
Coffee
Lots of athletes now swear by coffee as a small amount actually increases performance if taken before exercise.
Regular consumption is also linked to the prevention of type 2 diabetes, while research in South Korea found that just the smell of coffee could actually make you less stressed.
Steak
Eating red meat could be a great way to give your body the perfect boost.
While scoffing too much processed meat has been linked to an increased risk of cancer, tucking into juicy lean beef cuts is not necessarily bad for you.
A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that eating lean beef regularly improves cholesterol levels.
It is thought something called stearic acid in the meat could be responsible for the benefits, while steak is also packed with iron vitamin B12 and zinc for added goodness.
Chewing Gum
There's a good reason why chomping on gum is a favourite of football bosses.
Scientific research has found that it's actually good for the brain.
Reaction times are up to 10% faster in those that chew gum according to findings in the Brain and Cognition journal.
Enjoying a stick of gum appears to boost blood flow to the brain leading to alertness.
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