Wearing BRAS Causing BREAST CANCER?

By the time you're finished reading this post your Bra will be off.  This is a riveting account of a phenomenon that will leave heads turning and Jaws dropping.  Could the wearing of Bra's predispose women to breast cancer?

I begin by asking a few critical questions to focus on your Bra wearing habits:  

•  Do you wear Bra for the entire day including at home and when you go to bed?
• Do you wear very tight Bras?
• How do you select the right Bra for you?a
• what is your main reason for wearing a Bra? 
• Are there any instances in your daily routine where you could avoid wearing Bras?

Breast cancer is no joking matter and we need to pay more than just lip service to tackling the problems created by this onerous disease.  It is one of the biggest killer among women during the last two decades. The WHO Fact Sheet No 334 (Nov 2009) states that:

Breast cancer is the leading cancer killer among women aged 20–59 years in high-income countries.

Most of the research done only point to the risk factors for breast cancer because to date we do not know what causes the disease.  Risk factors of course are things that affect your chance of getting the disease. Among the risk factors listed are smoking, drinking, and diet which links to things a person does. Others, like a person's age, race, or family history, can't be changed. 

There is an almost endless list of  risk factors some which came out of scientific studies on cancer of the breast. I would like to look at the risk factors that arise through lifestyle choices a bit. According to cancer.org Some of the breast cancer risk and lifestyle choices include:

• Not having children or having them later in life
• Recent use of birth control pills
• Using hormone therapy after menopause
• Not breast-feeding
• Being overweight or obese
• Alcohol
• Lack of exercise

And Some Risk factors that have not been proven: 

• Diet and vitamin intake
• Antiperspirants and bras
• Induced abortions
• Breast implants  

Their statement on Antiperspirant and bras reads: 

Antiperspirants and bras: Internet e-mail rumors have suggested that underarm antiperspirants can cause breast cancer. There is very little evidence to support this idea. A large study of breast cancer causes found no increase in breast cancer in women who used antiperspirants. Also, there is no evidence to support the idea that bras cause breast cancer.

In my humble opinion cancer is a money issue and I know you start to label me already but I will remain resolute on this point.  Curing cancer will sink thousands of industries and result in the lost of billions of dollars.  So my point is that with all the genius we boast in science and technology the directive to cure cancer just don't exist. As it relates to the cause, If I tell you I would have to kill you.  

I would love to believe the experts, except that millions of people like Linda McCartney who have been  religious vegetarians and exercise- freaks have also  been unfortunate in suffering breast cancer.  There are many other women who did everything in the book and still suffer from breast cancer. 

Perhaps the most convincing argument to the main risk factors lie in the Antiperspirants and bras column.  I have my suspiscions about the anti-perspirant and being a chemist I have examined the ingredients in these products and I wasn't too happy.  Since then I have stopped using it.  Of course the empire could not have a moratorium on the beloved "Antiperspirant" because it would kill a bunch of industries.  You be the judge of it however, after all it's your body and your mind. 

In the 'Bra and Breast Cancer Study' in the United States , It was discovered that women with breast cancer had a history of sporting tighter and longer bra-wearing  than did the women who had not (yet) developed the disease. This brings me back to the earlier questions.

The study further went on to show that In fact, virtually the entire cancer group wore bras over 12 hours. When a woman wears a tight bra, she subjects her breasts to pressure, closing off the lymphatic  pathway from the breast to the nodes. This causes fluid built-up swelling, tenderness and cyst formation. Toxins must be flushed out via the  lymphatic system. However, a bra-constricted breast cannot adequately perform this cleansing process, resulting in toxin accumulation in the breast. 

This issue was first brought to mainstream through the book Dressed to kill. Here is an excerpt from a review of the book Dressed to Kill:

Dressed to Kill is a book by Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer that proposes a link between bras and breast cancer. According to the authors, the restrictive nature of a brassiere inhibits the lymphatic system. The book's claim that bras cause breast cancer has been dismissed by the medical and scientific communities; the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the National Institutes of Health have all concluded that there is no link between bra use and breast cancer.


In their book, Singer and Grismaijer argue that bra-wearing may be a major cause of breast cancer because of the purported effect of the bra on lymphatic circulation. Their interpretation is that constriction from tightly worn bras inhibits the proper functioning of the lymphatic system and leads to a buildup of fluid within the breast tissue. In addition, they state carcinogenic substances that we take into our bodies through petrochemically polluted food, air and water course throughout the body, including the breast tissue, and need to be flushed from the tissues by the lymphatic system. Hence, bra-induced constriction of the breast lymphatic vessels, according to the authors, concentrates these toxins within the breast tissue, which may ultimately lead to cancer.


The book generated controversy which the authors attributed the greed of the fashion and medical industries: "The bra industry is a multi-billion dollar enterprise. And billions of dollars are spent each year researching and treating this disease. Ironically, ending breast cancer can cause financial hardship for many people." To dismiss critics of their work, they claim the mainstream medical organizations all denied the link between smoking and lung cancer for decades after the initial research was published.

However you want to construct your opinion on the issue it does make sense to highlight these possibilities.  Women wear Bras for different occasions, reasons and lengths of time but I'm sure there is no need to wear a Bra 24/7.  Even if the claim is wrong you have nothing to lose from reducing your potential risk.   Better safe than sorry.


I have not made any scientific claim or endorse any opponents or proponents but I believe there is some link between Breast cancer and the wearing of Bras.  I will continue to follow the research and keep you informed.  


To all my friends and loved ones who are predisposed or suffering from Breast Cancer please stay strong and continue to take steps to reduce your risk.  For the concerned men, you can do something by helping your partner or family members to make the right lifestyle choices. You may also support one of the trusted Breast Cancer awareness charities:
http://www.againstbreastcancer.org.uk/
http://www.breastcancer.org/
 http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/
  
BIBLIOGRAPHY: 
http://www.all-natural.com/bras.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_cancer 
http://www.who.int/cancer/detection/breastcancer/en/

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