It is commonly thought that BRAS keep breasts from sagging, but is that just an 'old wives' tale' that the bra industry wants us to believe?

Some breasts sag more naturally, but gradually with age (and markedly around menopause) or after lactation most women experience something called breast involution, which is a process whereby breast glandular and connective tissue is replaced by fat tissue. The breast involution then naturally causes the breasts to hang lower, whether bra-bound or not. I cannot but wonder that maybe breasts assume this lower position so that the baby can easily reach the nipple when you have her/him on your lap. Breastfeeding moms know how much more convenient it is when you don't have to any more raise the baby with pillows up to the level of the nipples (as is the case with infants) but can just have the baby nurse from your lap.

There is no published medical literature showing that bras prevent sagging. Even the bra industry seems to know this, as the following quote illustrates:

"We have no evidence that wearing a bra could prevent sagging, because the breast itself is not muscle, so keeping it toned up is an impossibility. What it can do, particularly for larger-breasted women, is obviously to provide the comfort and the support. So, if a woman wants a particular breast profile, she will buy a particular brand, and that is what they're designed for. There's no permanent effect on the breast from wearing a particular bra. The bra will give you the shape the bra's been designed to give while you're wearing it. Of course, when you take it off, you go 'au natural.' " executive John Dixey at Bras, Bare Facts documentary.

However, there is some support for the idea that breasts in bras actually sag more. How could that be since the main idea of bras is to lift the breasts upward? The main idea is that the ligaments which support breasts in normal circumstances, would atrophy (get thinner and weaker) when breasts are immobilised within bras and don't have to bear their own weight...