Over the years,
all kinds of theories trying to explain the prevalence of breast
cancer have popped up. Birth control pills,
antiperspirants, even breast size have all been tied to a higher risk of the
disease at some point, with little or mixed evidence behind them.
Now, thanks to a new study, one longstanding rumor can finally
be laid to rest. Researchers writing in the journal Cancer
Epidemiology: Biomarkers & Prevention found zero evidence that wearing a bra
contributes to breast cancer.
The connection between the two apparently came about thanks to
research published in 1991, which found a weak link between bra-wearing and
cancer rates. Even though correlation doesn’t equal causation, the news got
major play in the media; experts theorized that bras might block drainage of
lymph nodes, and this could lead to tumors. With the rumor still out there,
researchers decided to look into it and investigate whether bras had anything
to do with breast cancer.
They evaluated 1,044 postmenopausal women who had been diagnosed
with one of two types of the disease between 2000 and 2004, comparing them to
469 postmenopausal women who did not have breast cancer. They queried all the
study participants about their bra-wearing habits and asked about their family
history of breast cancer and other personal health and demographic information.
The results: No association was discovered between bras and
breast cancer risk. “In particular, the risk did not vary by daily duration of
wearing a bra, age when women started wearing a bra, cup size, or whether women
wore a bra with an underwire,” the research team wrote.
The facts are in, and it seems pretty safe to consider your bra
to be a harmless (albeit sometimes itchy) undergarment that keeps your breasts
in place—not a lethal device that can cut your life short. Find out what
factors might boost your disease risk,
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