A customer drinks a beer at Saxton's Pub in Austin, Texas, April 5, 2023.
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The U.S. Surgeon General issued a new advisory warning Friday about the link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk, calling for policy changes to help reduce the number of alcohol-related cancer cases.
US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said there is a “well-established” link between drinking alcohol and at least seven types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, esophageal and liver cancer. For cancers, including breast, mouth and throat cancer, the increased risk may start at about one drink or less per day, according to his office.
As part of the consultation, the Surgeon General called for policy changes that could help reduce alcohol-related cancer. He has pushed for alcohol labels to be clearer and include a warning about increased cancer risk, to reevaluate recommended limits for alcohol consumption based on the latest research and to expand education to increase public awareness that alcohol consumption increases cancer risk.
The efforts described in this advisory are similar to those already implemented to reduce tobacco use. Included A large number of mandatory warnings on packaging and in stores.
The Surgeon General advised people to consider the relationship between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk when deciding whether to drink alcohol or how much to drink.
Alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, behind only tobacco and obesity, according to the advisory.
“Alcohol is a well-established and preventable cause of cancer and is responsible for approximately 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States — a greater number than the 13,500 alcohol-related traffic crash deaths annually in the United States — yet the majority of Americans do not,” Murthy said. In a press release: “They are unaware of this danger.”
Stocks of alcohol manufacturers including Molson Coors and Anheuser-Busch It initially decreased more than 1% after counseling.
According to the advisory, 72% of US adults said they had one or more drinks per week between 2019 and 2020, but less than half of adults are aware of the relationship between drinking alcohol and cancer risk.
Worldwide, 741,300 cancer cases were traced to alcohol consumption in 2020, according to the Surgeon General.
On average, alcohol-related cancer deaths shorten the lives of those who die by 15 years.
Younger Americans already are Increasingly Stay away from alcohol, lots of them tends to Non-alcoholic alternatives. About two-thirds of adults ages 18 to 34 say alcohol consumption negatively affects health, compared to less than 40% of people ages 35 to 54 and 55 and over, according to Gallup Poll Released in August.
