Hello folks. Here are the promised excerpts from "Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras." The authors, two medical anthropologists, interviewed over 2,056 women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and 2,674 women who had no diagnosis of breast cancer. They then compared various lifestyle variables between the two groups. That's the extent of their methodology and *statistics* -- just percentage differences between the two groups. They point out that some of the women in the undiagnosed group may already have breast cancer, or will develop it. Age distribution: no difference (30-79 for both groups, most between 40 and 70) Income distribution: no difference Occupation involving exposure to toxins: no difference, but most women had no idea if their jobs included exposure to toxins Are you comfortable with the size and shape of your breasts without a bra? Standard group: 18% yes Cancer group: 5% yes [Note how many women in both groups don't like the way their breasts look without a bra!] Do you select bras to shape or accentuate your breasts? Standard group: 74% yes Cancer group: 87% yes Other than price, what is the most important feature you look for when buying a bra? Standard group: 30% appearance, 51% comfort, 19% both Cancer group: 62% appearance, 25% comfort, 13% both Does your bra occasionally feel tight or uncomfortable? Standard group: 28% rarely, 55% sometimes, 17% always Cancer group: 48% rarely, 34% sometimes, 18% always Does your bra ever made red marks on your skin or cause irritations? Standard group: 25% rarely, 52% sometimes, 23% always Cancer group: 14% rarely, 46% sometimes, 40% always How long do you wear your bra each day on the average? Standard group: 20% < 12 hrs. daily, 80% > 12 hrs. daily Cancer group: 1% < 12 hrs. daily, 99% > 12 hrs. daily [Note: YIKES!] Do you wear a bra or breast-supporting garment to sleep? Standard group: 3% yes Cancer group: 18% yes Do you wear a bra? Standard group: 5% no Cancer group: 0.24% no Have you breastfed: Standard group: 14% yes Cancer group: 4% yes The authors point out that there are many things they didn't look at that would be of great interest in future studies, such as number of hours wearing a bra as a continuous variable, type of bra (stretch, underwire, standard, etc.), size of the woman's breasts (though there apparently is no link between size of the breasts and rates of cancer), duration of breastfeeding, etc. They call for more research, and in the interim suggest everyone wear a good-fitting, non-binding bra, as few hours as possible a day. The authors are Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer, publisher in Avery Publishing. Kathy Dettwyler