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'The comical thing is it's absolutely false' | Viral TikTok claims wearing a sports bra can cause breast cancer

A Waco physician says not only do sports bras not cause breast cancer, but they actually have health benefits.

TEXAS, USA — A viral TikTok is causing chaos among young women all over the nation. It's about a sports bra causing breast cancer. People are claiming the tight top can trap fluids.

"If you wear a sports bra all the time, you need to stop," Kelly Haze said in her TikTok.

Haze posted the video urging people to listen to her message after her doctors found a lump in her breast. They told her wearing a sports bra can cause fluids to get stuck in her lymph nodes.

"When you have compression on them all the time, it gets, like, extra fluid because it can't go anywhere," Haze said.

@.kellyhaze

PSA to all the ladies addicted to wearing a sports bra 🙋🏻‍♀️

♬ original sound - Kelly Haze|The Quantum Coach

Now people on social media are panicking, trying to figure out if this can increase the risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer.

THE QUESTION

Can wearing a sports bra cause breast cancer?

OUR SOURCE

Dr. Tim Martindale, owner of a family practice physician in Waco.

THE ANSWER

This is false.

No, wearing a sports bra does not trigger breast cancer. Our experts say wearing a sports bra is safe, and is actually healthy.

"The comical thing is it's absolutely false," Martindale said.

WHAT WE FOUND

Martindale says sports bras are great to wear.

"If you don't wear a bra, there is an element of sagging of the breast, of lengthening of the ligaments, which tends to be permanent," Martindale said. "If you'd like to have the best shape and health of your breasts, support for them is a healthy thing."

Martindale mentioned how the woman in the video did not have breast cancer.

"It was something completely different," Martindale added. "It was a nodule that was harmless."

The lumps the TikToker described in her video do not deal with breast cancer at all.

"Some people are concerned about something called lymphedema, where you can develop thicker secretions that build up and cause troubles," Martindale said. "Number one, that has nothing to do with breast cancer, but it does have something to do with breast health."

There are ways you can improve your breast health.

"The idea of fluid pockets, that can be helped with the massage," Martindale said. "The sports bras don't make that worse."

For those concerned, there are ways to decrease your chances of developing breast cancer.

"The best thing is weight loss," Martindale said. "Fat causes breast cancer, so weight loss, and stay away from alcohol and tobacco or cigarettes or nicotine."

Martindale encourages people to do research before trusting what they see online.

"We have to think of TikTok as complete entertainment," Martindale said. "There is no reliability on facts with TikTok, even things that seem to be authoritative sources. If you see something on TikTok that has a question arise, look at a reputable site for medical information, or ask your physician because that's going to be much more reliable. If you make decisions based on things you see on TikTok, most of the time, you're going to be wrong."

If you have something you would like verified, email verify@kcentv.com. 

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