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A customer drinks a glass of beer at Saxton’s Pub in Austin, Texas on April 5, 2023.
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
On Friday, the US surgeon general issued a new advisory warning about the link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk and called for policy changes to help reduce the number of alcohol-related cancers.
US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said there is a “well-established” link between alcohol consumption and at least seven types of cancer, including breast, rectal, esophageal and liver cancers. For cancers, including breast, oral and throat cancers, the increased risk can start at about one or fewer drinks a day, according to his office.
As part of the consultation, the Surgeon General has called for policy changes that could help reduce alcohol-related cancers. He pushed for alcohol labels to be more prominent and include a warning about the increased risk of cancer, to revise the recommended limits of alcohol consumption based on the latest research, and to expand education to increase general awareness that alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer.
The efforts outlined in the recommendations are similar to those already implemented to reduce tobacco use, including many mandatory warnings on packaging and in stores.
The surgeon general advised people to consider the link between alcohol consumption and a higher risk of cancer when deciding whether or how much to drink.
According to the guideline, alcohol consumption is the third most preventable cause of cancer in the US, behind only tobacco and obesity.
“Alcohol is a well-known preventable cause of cancer, causing about 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths in the United States each year — more than the 13,500 alcohol-related deaths in U.S. traffic accidents, but most Americans are unaware of this risk,” Murthy said in a press release.
Shares of alcohol producers, including Molson-Coors and Anheuser-Busch initially fell more than 1% after the recommendation.
According to the guideline, 72% of US adults said they drank one or more drinks per week between 2019 and 2020, but less than half of all adults are aware of the link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk.
According to the Surgeon General, in 2020, 741,300 cancer cases worldwide were linked to alcohol consumption.
On average, an alcohol-related cancer death shortens the deceased’s life by 15 years.
Americans are younger already more and more often give up alcohol, and many do bending over non-alcoholic alternatives. About two-thirds of adults ages 18 to 34 say drinking has a negative effect on their health, compared to less than 40% of those ages 35 to 54 and 55 and older. Gallup poll released in August.
