bras & breast cancer

* Women who wore their bras 24 hours per day had a 3 out of 4 chance of developing breast cancer.

* Women who wore bras more than 12 hour per day, but not to bed, had a 1 out of 7 risk.

* Women who wore their bras less than 12 hours per day had a 1 out of 52 risk.

* Women who wore bras rarely or never had a 1 out of 168 chance of getting breast cancer. 

The overall difference between 24 hour wearing and not at all was a 125-fold difference. The results of this study are compelling, even considering that it was not a "controlled study" for other risk factors. Bear in mind that known (published in medical journals) risk factors for breast cancer are mostly in the range of less than three-fold differences. 

It should also be noted that Singer and Grismaijer surveyed bra-wearing behavior of the past, which is excellent for a disease with such a long development period. In their book, the authors show how most of the known risk factors can be related to bra-wearing behavior and/or the restriction of the lymphatic system. Their explanation of impaired lymphatic flow intrigued me. 

For example, breast-feeding and pregnancy cause full development of the mammary lymphatics. Also, women of higher economic status have higher breast cancer rates, and as one might suspect, they are "required" to wear their bras more hours per day. Women who exercise have lower risk, which could relate to better lymphatic circulation (and I would add, more breast movement).

Lymphatic circulation in many tissues (especially the primary lymphatics) is highly dependent on MOVEMENT. When you sit for a long time on an airplane flight, your feet and ankles can swell, because lymphatic circulation goes to near zero. Wearing a bra, especially a constricting one with under-wires, and especially to bed, prevents normal lymphatic flow and would likely lead to anoxia (lower than normal oxygen content), which has been related to fibrosis, which has been linked to increased cancer risk.

Women evolved under conditions where there was BREAST MOVEMENT with every step that they took when they walked or ran. My reading of the scientific literature about lymphatic flow shows me that this may be as important as the constriction factor. Every subtle bounce of the breast while moving, walking, running, etc., gently massages the breast and increases lymphatic flow and, thus, cleans the breast of toxins and wastes that arise from cellular metabolism.

Of course, there may be other mechanisms for the damage that bras apparently cause. One such mechanism could be temperature. Breasts are external organs and have a naturally lower temperature. Cancers can be temperature-dependent. Breast cancer is hormone-dependent. Temperature can alter hormone function. Breast temperature changes throughout the monthly cycle.

All these facts are from the medical literature. By whatever mechanism, someone will eventually explain why Singer and Grismaijer found a 125-fold difference in cancer rates between bra-free breasts and those constricted by 24-hour-per-day bra wearing.

full article--->http://www.health101.org/art_Bras_and_Breast_Cancer.htm

so,ladies go braless?