January 03, 2025
Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; USA TODAY NETWORK
Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, the U.S. surgeon general, want to add cancer warnings to alcohol labels, noting that fewer than half of Americans know about the link between drinking and increased cancer risk, despite alcohol contributing to 100,000 cancer cases annually.
The U.S. surgeon general wants labels on alcohol to include a new warning about the link between drinking and the increased risk of certain forms of cancer.
Cans and bottles of alcohol already display labels with government warnings about the dangers associated with drinking while pregnant and operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, the surgeon general, said on Friday the labels should be updated to include language about alcohol being a leading preventable cause of cancer.
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The call to change to the warning labels was included in a 22-page advisory from the surgeon general that noted while 72% of adults in the U.S. consume one or more drinks per week, fewer than half are aware of the relationship between drinking and the risk of cancer.
Each year, alcohol use contributes to almost 100,000 cancer cases and nearly 20,000 cancer deaths in the United States. That number of deaths is more than those associated with alcohol-related traffic crashes, which kill about 13,500 people annually, the surgeon general said.
The current U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend men limit their alcohol consumption to two drinks per day and women consume only one drink daily, but a study released during summer found that, even among people who drink small amounts of alcohol, there is a greater risk of cancer. About 83% of Americans who die from alcohol-related cancers drink more than the dietary guidelines, and the other 17% of alcohol-related cancer deaths occur among people whose alcohol consumption falls within those limits, the surgeon general said.
Murthy described alcohol use as a "well-established risk," backed by scientific studies, for at least seven different cancers – breast, colorectal, esophageal, liver, oral, throat and laryngeal. Breast cancer has the largest number of cases linked to alcohol. Data from the surgeon general shows that in 2019, more than 44,000 of the 270,000 total breast cancer diagnoses were associated with drinking. That's 16% of all patients.
When a person drinks, there are several ways alcohol and its byproducts influence the growth of tumors. Alcohol and the acetaldehyde, which is produced when the body metabolizes alcohol, both damage the DNA of cells. Alcohol also alters hormone levels, including estrogen, and other carcinogens, like tobacco smoke, can dissolve in alcohol, making them more easily absorbed by the body.
The currently government warning labels were added to bottles and cans of alcoholic Congress passing the the Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act of 1988, and it has not been changed since. Congress would have to pass legislation in order for the label to be changed.
Murthy's advisory notes the warning labels have had success elsewhere. In Canada, researchers found that two months after putting labels on containers, 10% more people were aware of the connection between alcohol and cancer.
South Korea requires cancer-specific warning labels, and alcoholic beverages in Ireland will display warning labels starting in 2026.
