British breasts getting bigger; Note to self: Move to England

Gentlemen, get your passports updated and brush up on your Cockney Rhyming Slang: We're moving to England. A new study shows that average breast size in the UK has grown from a 34B to 36C. British department store Marks & Spence alone has doubled th amount of D-cup bras sold in the last three years.

I know what you're thinking, but cosmetic surgery isn't the reason. British nutritionists and gynecologists blame the increase on a range of factors, including obesity, hormones, alcohol consumption and environmental factors. In fact, a large amount of cup-size increases in British females might be explained by the high rates of hormone replacement therapy undertaken by menopausal women. The unusually high levels of estrogen might encourage breast tissue to grow, along with possibly increasing the risk of breast cancer.

Some British experts disagree with the hormone-replacement theory, and instead blame a cocktail of xeno-estrogens that could come from a wide variety of products, including lipstick and tampons.

But the most obvious causes of the increased breast size are likely tied to the growing rate of obesity and alcoholism in the UK among women.

"Fat is laid down on breasts as much as thighs or bottoms," Professor Michael Baum says, "and we are in an epidemic of obesity. It isn't surprising women's measurements have increased."

"Alcohol is full of sugars that will elevate your blood sugars and cause them to release unstable levels of insulin," [says nutritionist Marylinn Glenville]. It also has a toxic effect on liver function. This means estrogen and other hormones can end up being recirculated around the body and perhaps reabsorbed instead of being broken down in the liver, if that organ has been damaged by too much alcohol."

But there is one last positive reason for increased breast size in England:

"More women are taking up aerobic exercise and building up their pectoral muscles, which can affect cup size," says a Marks & Spencer spokesman.

OK, wait, let me get this straight. Most of the women experiencing increased breast size are either postmenopausal, overweight, drunk or hypermuscular. That means we'll be seeing a lot more of this or this rather than this?

Maybe we better take this one slow, boys. [deep breath] OK, that's enough — see you across the pond!

Women are growing bigger busts (Daily Telegraph)