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Surgeon General Highlights Link Between Alcohol and Cancer, Urges Warning Labels

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 6, 2025.

By Physician’s Briefing Staff HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Jan. 6, 2025 -- In a new Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy connects alcohol consumption to increased cancer risk and calls for updated warning labels on alcoholic beverages.

The third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States (behind tobacco and obesity), alcohol consumption increases the risk for at least seven types of cancer.

"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 U.S. -- yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk," Murthy said in a press release, adding that the report "lays out steps we can all take to increase awareness of alcohol's cancer risk and minimize harm."

The new advisory contains a series of recommendations, including an update of the warning label on beverages that contain alcohol, to increase cancer risk awareness. Labels currently posted on bottles and cans of alcoholic beverages warn about drinking while pregnant or before driving and operating other machinery and about general "health risks."

Regardless of the type of alcohol (beer, wine, or spirits) consumed, the direct link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk is well-established for at least seven types of cancer, including breast, colorectum, esophagus, liver, oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx. For breast cancer specifically, 16.4 percent of total breast cancer cases are attributable to alcohol consumption.

While evidence for this link has been growing during the past four decades, less than half of Americans recognize alcohol consumption as a risk factor for cancer. Besides the alcohol warning label, the advisory calls for reassessing the limits for consumption and advises people to be mindful of the relationship between alcohol and increased cancer risk when considering whether or how much to drink.

Additionally, the advisory says, public health professionals and community groups should highlight alcohol consumption as a leading modifiable cancer risk factor and expand education efforts to increase general awareness. Health care providers should promote the use of alcohol screening and treatment referrals as needed.

More Information

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted January 2025

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