There’s no doubt that we’re living in an era of choices. From food to television to music, we are presented with countless options to choose from every moment of every day. Some choices, no matter how menial, seem to come with a cost to weigh down on us. But there is one choice (for women at least) for which the impact is on our health: the type of underwear we choose to wear. As we peruse our undies drawer after getting out of the shower, there is in fact much more to consider than what would go best with our outfit.

Control Briefs

For those of us looking to slim down our tummies with a pair of control briefs, approach with caution. As these tight fitting undies squeeze your stomach fat, they also constrict your intestines and stomach. Cranfield University medical professor John Hunter claims that an increase in pressure on the stomach can cause acid to flow from the stomach to the gullet, eventually causing heartburn. Furthermore, continuous use of over–constrictive underwear can cause stomach inflammation and ulcers. So, choose control briefs if you must fit into that perfect dress for one night, and go back to a more comfortable option the next day.

Boy Shorts

These bad boys provide great coverage for your buttocks and can make your glutes look firmer. However, there’s a drawback. All the material down there not only keeps your bottom warm but also provides the ideal environment for bacterial growth. You probably remember from biology classes that bacteria thrive in warm, wet environments. If you’re going to be running around and sweating your butt off, this probably isn’t the underwear you want to be donning.

Thongs

Planning to wear those tight leggings? Of course, you’re going to reach for those thongs that guarantee no panty lines, but they’re also great transporters of bacteria. As this undergarment slides between your buttocks as your move, it easily moves fecal bacteria to your vagina, possibly causing urinary tract infections or vaginal bacterial infections. Again, if you plan to be active, try to stay away from thongs.

Bikini Briefs

Now that I’m done with being a Negative Nancy about all of your favorite underwear choices, I will let you know what the best choice for your health is: bikini briefs. They offer adequate coverage to keep your tush from being exposed to bacteria hiding in your pants, but not too much fabric as to trap moisture for bacterial proliferation. In addition, they don’t move around much and will keep those fecal bacteria away from your vaginal area.

Despite the drawbacks of the different underwear choices, there is no need to panic and replace all of your thongs with bikini briefs. Just know that there are some risks attached to the type of underwear you enjoy wearing, and there are situations where you will be better off not wearing boy shorts no matter how comfortable they feel.

Article by Ellison Chen

Feature Image Source: Bella Collection