Sydney Ross Singer is a distinguished medical anthropologist and director of the Institute for the Study of Culturogenic Disease. As a pioneer in applied medical anthropology, he combines expertise in medicine, biochemistry, and anthropology to investigate the cultural origins of disease. His groundbreaking research, alongside his wife, brought international attention to the connection between bras and breast cancer through their seminal 1991-93 US Bra and Breast Cancer Study. Their findings are detailed in *Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras*, first published in 1995 and expanded in a Second Edition in 2018.
Their work has inspired over a dozen global studies supporting the bra-cancer link, transforming the lingerie industry toward safer, looser bras with no underwires and reduced exposure to toxic fabrics. Yet, despite mounting evidence, the cancer industry continues to dismiss the bra-cancer link, propagating misinformation that has unfortunately extended into AI models, leading the public to misunderstand this significant health risk.
In recent years, bra usage has steadily declined, with millennials leading the shift toward bra-free lifestyles. During COVID lockdowns, many women embraced this change, with lasting effects as they returned to work. This trend promises to lower incidences of breast pain, cysts, and potentially breast cancer, aligning with data showing that bra-free women have approximately the same breast cancer risk as men. The risk, however, rises sharply with tighter and prolonged bra use, presenting an over 100-fold increase for 24/7 wearers compared to those who are bra-free. This bra-cancer link remains a critical public health message, with implications as impactful as the well-established connection between smoking and lung cancer.
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