New study proves no link between bras and breast cancer

For many years, doctors have debated whether or not the act of wearing a bra increases a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. Now a new report published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention has stated that, in a study focused on 1,513 women, no such link has been found.

The study, conducted at the University of Washington and led by Doctoral student Lu Chen, focused on 1,513 women, both suffering from breast cancer and completely free of the disease. It covered an exhaustive list of questions about their bras, with subjects including the age when the women started wearing bras, whether or not they wore underwire and the number of hours a bra was worn each day. In each case the study demonstrated that none of the factors could be associated with developing cancer. Findings included that 75% of the women interviewed wore a bra for eight or more hours each day, and only one of the 1,513 had never worn a bra at all.

The history of theories linking lingerie with breast cancer stretches back around 20 years, including a number of studies and books raising the possibility that women who go braless exhibit a lower risk of developing breast cancer. The theory is, ostensibly, that tight bras can restrict lymph circulation and drainage, thereby trapping toxins in the breasts that can trigger tumors.

In the recent study, Lu Chen stated, “There have been some concerns one of the reasons why breast cancer may be more common in developed countries compared with developing countries is differences in bra wearing patterns. Given how common bra wearing is, we thought this was an important question to address.

“Our study found no evidence wearing a bra increases a woman’s risk for breast cancer. The risk was similar no matter how many hours per day women wore a bra, whether they wore a bra with an underwire, or at what age they first began wearing a bra.”

Chen was keen to stress that obesity factors highly in the risk of developing breast cancer, and women who went braless were far more likely to be slim and, by process of elimination, healthier and at less risk in the first place.