Gwyneth Paltrow's 'Goop' has published an article with outdated claims about bras and breast cancer.

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Gwyneth Paltrow‘s lifestyle website Goop has been accused of scaremongering, after one of the website’s contributors wrote an article suggesting a link between certain kinds of bras and breast cancer — a claim that has been debunked by scientists.

The article, titled Could there possibly be a link between underwire bras and breast cancer?, suggested wearing tight bras, as well as bras with underwire, could restrict the lymph nodes around the breast and underarm, causing toxins to build up and potentially pose a breast cancer risk.

As well as being published on Goop, the 2700-word article was included a newsletter to subscribers.

“Over 85 percent of the lymph fluid flowing from the breast drains to the armpit lymph nodes. Most of the rest drains to the nodes along the breastbone. Bras and other external tight clothing can impede flow,” Dr. Michael Schacter of the Schacter Center for Complimentary Medicine told the article’s author, Dr. Habib Sadeghi.

“The nature of the bra, the tightness, and the length of time worn, will all influence the degree of blockage of lymphatic drainage. Thus, wearing a bra might contribute to the development of breast cancer as a result of cutting off lymphatic drainage, so that toxic chemicals are trapped in the breast," he continued.

The article cited research in a book published in 1995, Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras, by Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer.

However, since its publication, the book has been discredited.

The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center concluded that there is no correlation between bras and breast cancer after conducting a population-based, case-controlled study in 2014, in an attempt to put the persistent internet rumours to rest. Furthermore, The American Cancer Society states "there are no scientifically valid studies that show wearing bras of any type causes breast cancer." (Post continues after gallery.)

In a widely-shared blog post, obstetrician and gynecologist, Dr Jen Gunter, described the article as "so ludicrous that it should be funny, except some women will read this and be scared."

Dr Gunter went on to explain that the research mentioned by Dr. Habib Sadeghi was unfounded, and offered her only piece of advice to women in relation to their bras.

"Wear your bra or don’t. Your choice. Heck, wear it to bed if it’s comfortable. It’s all good. If it’s digging in get a fitting from an expert, not because it could be building up toxins but because everyone should know the joy of a well-fitted bra," she wrote.

In an interview with the Huffington Post, Dr Gunter also explained why it was irresponsible of Goop to publish the article.

"This stuff scares women. When people have cancer they desperately reap their past to try and come up with things they may have done, and so this kind of misinformation could cause women to stress and lose sleep and that is definitely bad for your health, nevermind being cruel," she said.

This incident comes just days after Paltrow, who launched Goop in 2008, was criticised for promoting saunas as a way of ridding the body of the flu. While there is some evidence that using saunas may reduce or prevent cold symptoms due to improved drainage, there are still a number of concerns with using this method.

Do you think celebrities should be dishing out health advice?