How Big Are “Big” Breasts?

If you’re a faithful Be Well reader, you already know that a preliminary study recently showed a link between breast size and breast cancer risk—and that one possible explanation for the link holds that the bigger your breasts, the more likely you are to develop cancer, since your bonus boobs have more cells with the potential to become cancerous. And maybe this news has you peering surreptitiously down at your cleavage and wondering: “How big is big?”

We’re here to tell you, thanks to a team of Australian researchers who were examining cup size as part of a study of whether the well-endowed are more likely to suffer side effects of radiation therapy. They performed an analysis of available studies, divided breasts into two categories, and concluded: “On the basis of published data and results from this study, it is recommended that patients with a cup size D … could be categorized as having large breasts, with all other patients considered average in size.”

Nobody likes to be considered “average,” but in this case, if it means we’re less likely to end up with cancer, we’re perfectly happy with our C’s.