22 years
Does constantly wearing a bra (even during sleep) increase the chances of getting breast cancer?
Apr 28, 2015
Yeah I remember this issue saying that if you wear a bra all day long, this can increase your risk of developing breast cancer. I first heard about it when I was studying biology. The explanation was that the bra would apply pressure on the lymphatic system of the breast, so the lymphatic channels will not be able to clear out toxins that cause breast cancer.
First off: the concept that lymphatic compression by bras might cause breast cancer is scientifically unsound and unfounded.
The fact of the matter is: there are no scientifically valid studies that show wearing bras of any type causes breast cancer. The original "study" that suggested a link between wearing a bra and breast cancer was a flawed study, because it was not conducted according to correct scientific principles, and it neglected to take into account other variables and result modifiers, including known risk factors for breast cancer.
There is however one scientifically-conducted epidemiologic study that looked into the possibility of a link between bra use and breast cancer. The results of this study suggested that breast cancer might be less common among women who do not wear bras than among women who do. However, the risk of breast cancer did not differ significantly between the two groups. Even the researchers who conducted this study admitted that they were not certain that this correlation is sound. They added that should a connection truly exit, it would most likely have occurred indirectly, knowing that women who are obese or have larger breasts are less likely to stay braless. Obesity is recognized by many studies as a risk factor for breast cancer and other types of cancer, and having large breasts has been suggested in some studies as increasing the risk for breast cancer in young women who are not overweight.
First off: the concept that lymphatic compression by bras might cause breast cancer is scientifically unsound and unfounded.
The fact of the matter is: there are no scientifically valid studies that show wearing bras of any type causes breast cancer. The original "study" that suggested a link between wearing a bra and breast cancer was a flawed study, because it was not conducted according to correct scientific principles, and it neglected to take into account other variables and result modifiers, including known risk factors for breast cancer.
There is however one scientifically-conducted epidemiologic study that looked into the possibility of a link between bra use and breast cancer. The results of this study suggested that breast cancer might be less common among women who do not wear bras than among women who do. However, the risk of breast cancer did not differ significantly between the two groups. Even the researchers who conducted this study admitted that they were not certain that this correlation is sound. They added that should a connection truly exit, it would most likely have occurred indirectly, knowing that women who are obese or have larger breasts are less likely to stay braless. Obesity is recognized by many studies as a risk factor for breast cancer and other types of cancer, and having large breasts has been suggested in some studies as increasing the risk for breast cancer in young women who are not overweight.
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Hi!
There is simply no evidence of any risk of getting breast cancer because of wearing a bra.
I reviewed the topic and the only recent epidemiological study that focused on this question is a population-based analysis of women with breast cancer versus women without breast cancer in Seattle USA.
The results did not show any association between wearing a bra and an increased breast cancer risk. In addition it is mentioned that: "no aspect of bra wearing, including bra cup size, recency, average number of hours/day worn, wearing a bra with an under wire, or age first began regularly wearing a bra, was associated with risks."
So no worries.
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