From the Research
Relationship Between Bra Wearing and Breast Cancer Risk
- The study published in 2014 1 found no association between bra wearing and increased breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women.
- In contrast, a study from 1991 2 suggested that premenopausal women who do not wear bras had half the risk of breast cancer compared with bra users, although this association was not found in postmenopausal women.
- A systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in 2024 3 found conflicting results among studies investigating the same topics, including the relationship between bra wearing and breast cancer risk.
Breast Size and Breast Cancer Risk
- A case-control study published in 1996 4 found a slight inverse relationship between breast size and breast cancer risk, but this association disappeared after adjustment for recognized breast cancer risk factors.
- A systematic review published in 2014 5 found that increasing breast size appears to be a risk factor for breast cancer, although studies are limited by their retrospective nature and confounding variables.
- Another study from 1991 2 found that larger bra cup size was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women, although this association was accounted for in part by obesity.
Bra-Wearing Habits and Breast Cancer Risk
- The study published in 2014 1 found no association between various bra-wearing habits, including bra cup size, recency, average number of hours/day worn, wearing a bra with an underwire, or age first began regularly wearing a bra, and breast cancer risk.
- The study from 1991 2 found a suggestive association between handedness and breast cancer laterality, but no significant association between bra wearing and breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women.