Bras may be linked to breast cancer

Researchers from the University of Western Sydney (UWS) are investigating whether wearing a bra could be dangerous to a woman’s health. They are studying the impact of bra-wearing on a woman’s breathing, blood pressure and fluid drainage from the breast.

Osteopathy students Angie Bruce, Lee Muddle and Fiona Peat are looking for 50 women to take part in their two-day study. During the study they will examine the physiological differences in a woman who is wearing a bra and when she is braless.They are keen to examine the effect of bras on women because it is a subject few, if any, researchers have studied.”Most women wear a bra every day of their lives, but most have probably never questioned if it has any impact on their health,” Ms Bruce said.They plan to examine if the constriction of a bra affects fluid drainage in the breast, which has been indicated as a possible link to cancer.”Research shows that just under 50 per cent of breast cancer cases can be attributed to genetics, hormones and things like that,” Ms Muddle said. “That means there’s about 50 per cent of cancer cases that are unexplained.”If the study finds a change in the level of fluid drainage, it could lay the foundations for further research linking bras to breast cancer.”If we find that wearing a bra impacts positively or negatively on a woman’s health it will have significant ramifications for all women,” Ms Muddle said.”Perhaps (it) will influence the duration of daily wear and the design and manufacture of brassieres.”(Source: The West Australian)