Do Bras Cause Breast Cancer?
One commonly held belief and concern is that of the potential for bras to cause breast cancer. This is most often applied to underwire bras, the theory being that the tight underwire bra blocks adequate lymph drainage from the breast, causing toxins to accumulate and hence, in time, cause breast cancer.
This belief is based on a myth born in 1995 when it was (non-scientifically) observed that women in western cultures who wore bras had a significantly higher incidence of breast cancer.
There is, however, no scientific proof that wearing a bra contributes to breast cancer. While it is true that western women (who generally do wear bras) do have a higher incidence of the disease, this is more likely to be due to other lifestyle factors such as weight, diet, exercise, pregnancies, and breast feeding. For example, we know that women who are overweight are more likely to get breast cancer; these women are also more likely to be large breasted and hence wear bras more of the time.
There is only one scientific study which has looked at the issue of a link between bras and breast cancer. It did present a result that breast cancer is less common in women who choose to not wear a bra, however the numbers were not statistically significant and it could not be confirmed that bras were the determining factor.
There are suggestions that the bra myth is a result of us not knowing what causes this frightening disease, and looking for a simple answer that women can control helps our collective state of mind. (Like the myth that underarm deodorants can cause breast cancer – again unproven). Yet the jury is still out, with many, even some medical professionals, unconvinced that there is no possible link at all between tight underwire bras and breast cancer.
