Alcohol Labels Should Carry Cancer Warning, Surgeon General Says
Alcoholic drinks should carry cancer risk warning labels, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in a report Friday.
The report cites a direct link between alcohol consumption and at least seven types of cancer, including of the breast, colorectal, liver, and mouth. An estimated 16.4% of total breast cancer cases are linked to drinking alcohol.
Alcohol’s Impact on Cancer
There are about 100,000 alcohol-related cancer cases and about 20,000 alcohol-related cancer deaths in the U.S. each year, the report found. Alcohol is the third-leading cause of cancer in the U.S., after tobacco and obesity.
While research has shown a link between alcohol and cancer, “the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk,” Murthy said in a statement.
Can Damage from Alcohol be Reversed?
The new report may be an extra incentive for people doing Dry January or plans to cut back on drinking or quit. The body is able to heal some of alcohol’s adverse effects, experts say.
“While some damage can be permanent, some can be reversed,” said Dr. Wei Zheng, director of the Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. “Cutting down on drinking will certainly reduce risks in the future.”
Recommendations
The advisory comes just weeks after another major report found that compared with abstaining from alcohol, moderate drinking was linked to a lower risk of death. But at the same time, scientists found that it also raised the risk of breast cancer.
That report, commissioned by Congress and carried out by a committee from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, reviewed research dating to 2010 to look at the relationship between moderate drinking and a number of outcomes, including death from any cause, death from heart disease, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, head and neck cancer, weight changes, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Women’s Susceptibility
Women in particular are susceptible to alcohol’s effects because they process and metabolize it differently than men, said Dr. Jamie Koprivnikar, an oncologist at Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. “We know that they are likely to have potential toxicities at lower amounts or doses than men are.”
New Warning Labels
Along with new warning labels, the surgeon general’s report also recommends reassessing the guideline limits for alcohol consumption to account for cancer risk. Current dietary guidelines recommend people drink alcohol in moderation, defined as two drinks a day for men and one drink for women.
Expert Reaction
Outside experts applauded the idea of adding cancer warning labels to alcoholic drinks.
“Despite decades of compelling evidence of this connection, too many in the public remain unaware of alcohol’s risk,” Dr. Bruce Scott, president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement. The report, “coupled with a push to update the Surgeon General’s health warning label on alcoholic beverages, will bolster awareness, improve health, and save lives.”
Next Steps
Any change to the beverage labels requires congressional authorization.
An update to federal dietary guidelines coming this year is expected to include new recommendations about how much alcohol people should drink.
A report on alcohol consumption conducted by a group within the Department of Health and Human Services is set to be published in the coming weeks. That report will help determine the 2025 dietary guidelines.
FAQs
Q: What is the link between alcohol and cancer?
A: The report cites a direct link between alcohol consumption and at least seven types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, liver, and mouth cancer.
Q: How many cancer cases are linked to drinking alcohol?
A: An estimated 16.4% of total breast cancer cases are linked to drinking alcohol.
Q: How many cancer-related deaths are caused by alcohol?
A: There are about 100,000 alcohol-related cancer cases and about 20,000 alcohol-related cancer deaths in the U.S. each year.
Q: What are the current dietary guidelines for moderate drinking?
A: The current guidelines recommend people drink alcohol in moderation, defined as two drinks a day for men and one drink for women.
Q: What is the recommendation for new warning labels?
A: The surgeon general’s report recommends adding cancer warning labels to alcoholic drinks.
Q: What is the expected update to federal dietary guidelines?
A: An update to federal dietary guidelines is expected to include new recommendations about how much alcohol people should drink, set to be published in the coming weeks.
