Jogging Linked To Sagging Breasts

First it was volleyball. Now a new study says that millions of women are at risk for sagging breasts because of jogging.

This disheartening news could affect nine women in England alone unless they wear the right sports bra.

Dr. Joanne Scurr, a biomechanics professor at the University of Portsmouth, said that exercises like jogging put a great deal of pressure on the breasts. This causes them to bounce uncontrollably, causing pain and sagging in the long run. The problem was observed in both flat-chested women and those with big breasts.

"During exercise, women's breasts bounce more than previously estimated, moving a vertical distance of up to around eight inches compared with a past maximum measurement of six inches. The bouncing, in some cases with breasts weighing 20 pounds or more, can prove painful and damaging to the limited natural support system," explained Jeanna Bryner in LiveScience.com.

Scurr's study focused on 70 women, including students and faculty from the University of Portsmouth, with bra sizes ranging from A-cup to extra-large (DD, E, FF, G, H, HH, J and JJ). The subjects were asked to exercise as Scurr measured breast movements in three directions: up and down, side to side, and in and out. She found that the movements resembled a figure 8 pattern.

"During walking exercise, the women's breasts moved relatively the same amount in all directions. But when participants sped up to a jog or run, their breasts moved proportionally more in some directions than others: More than 50 percent of the total movement was in the up-down direction, 22 percent side-to-side and 27 percent in-and-out," Bryner reported.

Unfortunately, most bras don't provide the proper support, especially when it comes to exercise. Scurr said many products can't stop breasts from bouncing. They only minimize up and down motion which isn't enough to prevent pain and the stretching of connective tissues that leads to sagging.

"For all cup sizes, the so-called encapsulation bras in which each cup is separately molded provided the most support, beating out the compression bras, which limit only the up-and-down motion. The encapsulation bras limit some of the movement in the other directions as well," said Bryner.

To correct this problem, Scurr is currently working with bra manufacturers to design the perfect bra that will minimize breast movement in all three dimensions. Her study will hopefully protect female joggers and other female athletes from drooping breasts.

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Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.thearticleinsiders.com