Flu or False?

Hot drinks have long been a traditional remedy for the cold and flu but now scientific research has shown that a steaming mug of hot liquid really can help.

For generations, grandmothers have served up warm drinks to help reduce the symptoms of suffering relatives, and now experts reckon they have been right all along.

The study, carried out at Cardiff University's Common Cold Centre, found that "a simple hot drink can provide an immediate and sustained relief from symptoms of runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness and tiredness."

Here, we take a look at some other old wives' tales to find out what ones have a basis in fact and which are nothing but stuff and nonsense.

Those that have been proved by science to be true include:

• An apple a day will keep the doctor away. Several studies show that the high levels of phenolics contained in apples work as a potent antioxidant, which has been shown to reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer. Other research suggests apples can also help stave off Alzheimer's disease.
• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Studies show that people who don't have breakfast develop a low blood sugar during the hours between lunch and dinner. This can lead to increased hunger as well as deposition of fat.
• Cranberry juice can help bladder infections. According to a study at Harvard Medical School, the properties in both cranberry and blackberry juice destroy bacteria clinging to the walls of the bladder.
• Chicken soup helps colds. Doctors at the University of California have discovered the amino acid cysteine, a common by product of chicken soup, holds the same properties as acetylcysteine, a common antibiotic prescribed to people with respiratory infections.
• Sitting in a hot bath can make men infertile. A three-year study of infertile men at the University of California found their sperm count rose dramatically when they stayed out of hot baths for between three to six months.
• Eating carrots helps you see in the dark. The old wives' tale that most of us will have heard when we were young actually turns out to have some basis in fact. Carrots are packed with Vitamin A, which is vital for good retina health.
• Toothpase can get rid of spots. Many toothpastes contain menthol, which cools and soothes inflammation. Antibacterial agents can fight infection, so toothpaste can make the perfect spot-fighting cream if you don't have anything else to hand.
• Listening to loud music will damage your hearing. Research suggests as many as one in five of today's teenagers have already done damage to their ears through listening to music at excessive volumes.
• Chewing parsley gets rid of bad breath. Parsley has been used for thousands of years to counteract garlic breath, as it contains compounds which counteract the high sulphur content of garlic that causes the unpleasant odor.
• Counting sheep helps you go to sleep. Counting is calming which can help lull the brain to sleep, but experts say to stick to counting the same one or two rather than counting hundreds.
• Cloves help relieve toothaches. Cloves and clove oil contain properties that can temporarily help numb the tooth, but the British Dental Health Foundation warns it should only be used in an emergency, as clove oil on the gums can burn them and even cause ulceration.
• Cleaning your ears with cotton swabs will make you deaf. It is all too easy to damage the eardrum by poking things such as cotton swabs into the ear canal.
• Feed a cold, starve a fever. A study showed that those who fasted then consumed nothing but water, produced raised levels of toxins that fight infections. However those who fasted and then had a meal, produced more of the kind of compounds which can tackle viral infections such as colds.