US Surgeon General warns about the dangerous link between alcohol and cancer

The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy on Friday, January 3, issued a new advisory warning that alcohol consumption can increase cancer risk, and called for an updated health warning label on alcoholic beverages.

“Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States – greater than the 13,500 alcohol-associated traffic crash fatalities per year in the US – yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk,” Murthy said in a statement.

Alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer in the US, after tobacco and obesity, the Surgeon General’s office said,

His office said the link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk is well-established for at least seven types of cancer: breast, colorectum, esophagus, liver, mouth, throat and voice box and the risk remains regardless of what type of alcohol is consumed, and increases with greater consumption.

Increasingly, evidence has mounted against alcohol consumption because of its health risks, which goes against perceptions that some alcohol especially red wine could benefit health.

For cancers like breast, mouth and throat cancers, the risk may start to develop with one or fewer drinks per day, the Surgeon General’s office said. It also noted any individual’s cancer risk is influenced by a number of factors, including their own biology and environment.

The Surgeon General’s advisory also calls for guideline limits for alcohol consumption to be assessed to account for cancer risk, and seeks to raise awareness for individuals about the link to cancer risk as they decide whether and how much to drink.

An updated warning label on alcoholic beverages to reflect cancer risk would require approval from Congress.