Dynamic Cardiopulmonary and Metabolic Functions during Jogging with and without Breast Supports

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the effects of a casual bra and a jogging bra on cardiopulmonary and metabolic responses before, during, and after exercise. Thirteen healthy females participated in randomized exercise trials where they were instructed to perform jogging exercises under three different conditions: (a) no bra (NB, control); (b) casual bra (CB, full coverage); and (c) jogging bra (JB, full coverage with encapsulation). The immediate effects of bras on static and dynamic lung functions were identified using standard pulmonary function tests. Metabolic changes and cardiovascular functions were continuously determined using a gas analyzer and non-invasive impedance cardiography before, during, and after exercise. The findings indicate that the wearing of a CB and the JB had no effect on static and dynamic lung functions. Also, all cardiorespiratory and metabolic variables showed no differences between the conditions (P>0.05) at rest or during jogging. However, while there were significant differences between cardiorespiratory and metabolic functions of the different conditions within 5 minutes after jogging, wearing a bra during exercise resulted in no limitation in cardiorespiratory and metabolic functions.