Relax, there is no link between bras and cancer, according to a new study that sought to lay to rest a commonly held myth about long-term use of the undergarment.
Conducted by Lu Chen, a researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, the study compared the habits of 469 healthy, post-menopausal, bra-wearing women with those of more than 1,000 females diagnosed with
invasive breast cancer, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"Given how common bra-wearing is, we thought this was an important question to address," Chen said, according to the Times.
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"No aspect of bra-wearing" was positively linked to breast-cancer occurrence, be it cup-size, material (soft-cup vs. underwire), age at which bra-wearing began, or duration of wear, the study determined. The full findings were published recently in the science journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Chen said the research applied "rigorous epidemiological study design" to the findings, which should provide some reassurance to women.
The American Cancer Society said in August that the myth of a connection between bras and cancer became popular after publication of the book "Dressed to Kill," where two anthropologists suggested there was a link.
"Their study was not conducted according to standard principles of epidemiological research and did not take into consideration other variables, including known risk factors for breast cancer," the American Cancer Society said in a statement.
"We know of only one scientifically-conducted epidemiologic study that investigated a possible link between bra use and breast cancer. This study suggested that breast cancer might be less common among women who do not wear bras than among bra wearers. However, breast cancer risk in the two groups was not significantly different, according to standard statistical criteria, and the researchers themselves expressed uncertainty regarding this correlation," the cancer society statement continued.
Chen also rejected another rumor that bras impede lymph circulation and drainage, trapping toxins in breasts that can trigger cancerous tumors.
"They think one reason breast cancer is more common in developed countries is due to the differences in bra-wearing patterns," Chen said, even though lack of physical activity and obesity are more likely the culprits.
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