Newsflash: Wearing a Bra Does Not Cause Breast Cancer

We doubt there are many women who were seriously worried that Victoria’s Secret is selling cancer-causing lingerie, but in case you were concerned, new research should set your mind at ease. That’s right, researchers actually published a study in a recent issue of the American Association for Cancer Research that finally debunks the pesky myth that wearing a bra raises your breast cancer risk. It doesn’t matter your cup size or whether you wear lace, underwire, or cotton—the authors’ study of postmeopausal women found that no aspect of bra-wearing increased cancer risk.

Though it seems ridiculous that anyone would think wearing a bra causes breast cancer, a 1995 book Dressed to Kill: The Link between Breast Cancer and Bras promoted this implausible myth. The idea may have stemmed from a 1991 study of postmenopausal women that suggested women who didn’t wear bras had a lower breast cancer risk than bra wearers, though the difference wasn’t statistically significant and no valid study has found evidence that wearing a bra causes cancer.

Wearing a bra might be uncomfortable, but it won’t give you cancer—no matter what  you see on Wikipedia or equally reputable sources.