Yes, the 2009 swimming world championships were just as devious as you suspected.

A study by Northwestern University has found that the 43 world records set at the event in Rome were accomplished primarily as a result of the participants’ swimsuits.

The study, published this month in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, found the slippery suits reduced drag, improved buoyancy and compressed muscles to create what many considered a mockery of the sport.

The researchers deemed Speedo’s full-body LZR Racer suit, a woven elastane-nylon and polyurethane piece launched by the swimwear g...