While breast size and weight loss often are hot topics among women, not everyone may realize the two issues go hand-in-hand. Your body changes as you lose weight--and your breasts are not immune. When your thighs and belly shrink, your breasts may follow suit.
Significance
Women's breasts begin developing while they're still in the womb, according to the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. They're made up of four structures--lobules or glands, milk ducts, fat and connective tissues. On average, a breast has about 15 to 20 lobules arranged in a wheel-spoke pattern that's surrounded by glandular tissue and fat, according to the NIH. Younger women's breasts are composed mostly of glandular tissue versus fat, which is why they're firmer. Older women, especially those nearing menopause, have more fat than glandular tissue because lobes shrivel with age. Shriveled lobes are replaced by fat, which means older women's breasts have less support.
Breast Size
Your breast size largely is determined by heredity, and--except for surgery--there's nothing you can do to change it, according to TeenGrowth.com. A woman's breasts often are similar in size to her mother's bust. However, a woman's bust size also may be influenced by her grandmother, and her father's family, so this isn't a hard-and-fast-rule. Breast size naturally ranges from very small, such as cup size AA, to very large, such as cup size EE, according to TeenGrowth.com. Breast size can increase or decrease with weight loss or weight gain, especially in older women who have more fat cells in their breasts, according to the NIH.
Weight Loss Basics
To lose weight, your body needs to burn more calories than it consumes. Reducing your caloric intake and burning more calories through physical activity is the most effective way to slim down, according to MayoClinic.com. Your body uses fat for energy, so as you work to lose weight, your body has to access its stores, shrinking your fat cells. You can't target specific areas--as your body burns fat, it burns it from all over, according to MayoClinic.com.
Considerations
Weight loss, especially if it's significant, can cause your breast size to decrease. Conversely, weight gain may make your breasts bigger. Because breasts contain fat cells and your body burns fat evenly, breasts size can shrink when you're losing weight. While this usually is less noticeable in young women who have minimal fat in their breasts, it can be pronounced in older women. Even small weight loss can significantly change the size of older women's breasts, especially women who are post-menopausal, according to the NIH.
Solution
While women usually are ecstatic about weight loss, the decrease in breast size that comes along with it may be disappointing. If you're having trouble adjusting to your new cup size, take advantage of clothing and makeup tricks that can enhance your breasts. For instance, wear a deep V-neck shirt, or dust bronzer or blush between your breasts to accentuate your cleavage, recommends "Cosmopolitan."
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