Yes, I laughed too. In fact, I thought it was a joke when I first heard it. Bras can cause breast cancer? Give me a break. But "Dressed to Kill, The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras" by Singer and Grismaijer (New York: Avery Publishing Group, 1995) is no joke.

The authors, with backgrounds in anthropology, biochemistry and medicine, behavioral science, ecology and environmental health are very serious. One of them (Grismaijer) developed a breast tumor and that's what inspired their research. Their findings raise some very intriguing questions.

It was undoubtedly due to the unique educational backgrounds of the authors that they began looking at the connection between dress and health. The authors are medical anthropologists and they've developed a completely new specialty.

"Every branch of science has its own point of view about the world and about the correct method for conducting research. We have employed a new research approach for understanding breast cancer: applied medical anthropology... We try to find the biological consequences of certain cultural practices. We refer to the disease caused by culture as culturogenic diseases. Heart disease, for example, is predominantly a culturogenic disease because it is produced by certain lifestyles, particularly those bearing high stress, a poor diet and minimal exercise." (p.ix)

Singer and Grismaijer looked at their subjects' culture (Western civilization) as anthropologists would as if they were studying a remote tribe. They took nothing for granted, including their subjects' dress. They wondered about that contraption that Western women often wear: the brassiere, a piece of clothing unique to their culture.

That there is a cultural connection to disease is nothing new. For example, Japanese women have one of the lowest breast cancer rates in the world. When Japanese women come to the U.S. they still have low breast cancer rates. But their children and grandchildren have incidence rates that approach those of American-born Caucasian women.

As the authors state: "This evidence suggests that the place where a woman lives -- the natural environment and/or the human (cultural) environment -- rather than heredity, is a major player in this disease." (p.45)

Is the lower breast cancer because Japanese women who come to the U.S. continue their native dress habits? Their daughters and granddaughters who adopt Western style dress begin to have breast cancer rates of their bra wearing co-Americans? Is it because of bra use?

How can wearing a bra cause cancer? The answer according to Singer and Grismaijer is that bras alter the breasts' anatomy and physiology, particularly affecting the lymphatic circulation causing lymphatic constriction.

What is lymphatic constriction?

As we know, our lymphatic system is our drainage system. Our cells are constantly dumping unwanted products, toxins, cellular debris and fluids into lymphatic vessels that travel throughout our body. Although some of the waste is taken up by the capillaries, most waste enters the lymphatic vessels which, because they have no heart or muscles in their walls to move the fluid along, depend on body movement for circulation. The lymphatic vessels ultimately drain into our heart and from there the lymphatic products enter our kidneys, liver and lungs for detoxification, cleaning and excretion.

Without our lymphatic drainage system, we'd back up with fluid and literally explode!

But what if there were a chronic long-term mild impairment of lymphatic function? The kind that bras are known to cause? The lymph vessels would close or be constricted and lymph would not properly drain. The arteries, veins and capillaries would remain open so the tissues would be nourished, but due to the lymph buildup, cleansing and oxygenation of tissues would be less effective. Toxins would then accumulate, poisoning the cells.

"The poorly drained tissue is bathed in toxins and its own waste, and sees little in the way of nutrients and oxygen from the bloodstream. After years of this, cancer -- the ultimate form of tissue degeneration -- could result." (p.51)

Are women's breasts chronically lymph constricted? Are women suffering from a buildup of lymph in their breasts due to bra use? The evidence builds when the authors quote Vicki Selzer's "Every Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer" which states that approximately 90% of all women in the United States will experience a breast cancer scare by discovering a breast lump during their lifetime. A large majority of these lumps will be benign, consisting of lymph filled sacs.

Why do childless women have a higher incidence of breast cancer than women who have had children? The authors see the bra-lymphatic connection here.

"With pregnancy comes a greater blood supply to the breast and greater lymphatic drainage of the tissue. The breasts of childless women do not have a chance to undergo full development --development that includes their lymphatic system. Given their underdeveloped drainage system, it follows that constriction of the breasts with a bra could cause even greater damage, further compromising an already limited drainage system. Women who have not breast fed also have a greater incidence of breast cancer, possibly because of this same mechanism." (p.55).

The authors conducted original research of their own, the Bra and Breast Cancer (BBC) Study, wherein they examined the history, attitudes, and behaviors of women with and without breast cancer in five major cities in the United States. The authors interviewed over 4,700 women between 1991 and 1993 to test their bra-breast cancer link theory.

"When we tested this theory the findings were astounding. The connection of bras to breast cancer proved greater than our original expectations. And the implications of our research go far beyond breast cancer." (p.3).

How about other constricted garments?

Under the heading "Victims of Fashion" other articles of clothing implicated in health problems are examined: shoes ("feet were not designed to be enclosed in an airless, snug, stiff case"), briefs ("the use of briefs has been implicated in male infertility because this type of underwear holds the testicles close to the body, not allowing them to cool properly") and panties with nylon crotches ("associated with yeast infections").

True to the authors' backgrounds, the material in this book includes fascinating historical information on the history of garments designed to make the female figure more appealing to males including corsets and girdles, as well as brassieres.

Of course the link between breast cancer and bras is the most serious disease to be tied to the wearing of tight or constricted clothing. It is a serious subject and deserves serious consideration. As the authors say, "If you still think the connection between bras and breast cancer is funny, perhaps it's time to examine your own cultural prejudices."

Our own cultural prejudices, conditioned by society's attitudes towards beauty and fashion do not take health into consideration at all. Perhaps it's time we did.

I think the following words from Singer and Grismaijer best sum up their thesis: "We believe that we have found a trigger for breast cancer. It is a trigger that is pulled by women themselves -- but the gun is loaded by society... We understand that, on first blush, the wearing of bras being linked to cancer is an easy target for humor... All we ask is that the facts in this book be judged fairly. Nothing more, nothing less." (p.xv).