Alcohol should have cancer warning label: US Surgeon General advocates amid 20,000 annual deaths
US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy advocates for adding cancer risk warnings to alcohol labels, highlighting its link to seven types of cancer and the need for updated guidelines.
FollowAlcohol is a major contributor to cancer and should carry clear warning labels, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy proposed on Friday.
Murthy’s advisory highlights growing evidence of alcohol’s harmful effects on human health, particularly its link to cancer. Implementing such labels, however, would require approval from the US Congress, a rare legislative move.
The advisory emphasizes the need for Americans to be more aware of the connection between alcohol and cancer, citing nearly one million preventable cancer cases in the US over the past decade. Each year, about 20,000 people die from alcohol-related cancers, according to Murthy’s findings.
Currently, beer, wine, and liquor bottles display warnings about risks for pregnant women and impaired driving. Murthy’s proposed labels would expand these warnings to include cancer risks, aiming to increase public awareness and encourage more informed choices.
Research has shown that consuming alcohol increases the risk of developing at least seven types of cancer, including liver, breast, and throat cancers. US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s recent advisory underscores this connection, emphasizing that the risk rises with higher alcohol consumption.
“For individuals, be aware that cancer risk increases as you drink more alcohol,” Murthy wrote Friday on the social media platform X. “As you consider whether or how much to drink, keep in mind that less is better when it comes to cancer risk.”
Despite mounting evidence and Murthy’s warning, Congress is unlikely to act quickly to mandate a new cancer warning label on alcohol products. It has been nearly 40 years since Congress approved the first government warning on alcohol, which cautions against drinking during pregnancy and warns of impaired driving. No updates have been made since.
A similar precedent exists for cigarettes, which began carrying health warnings in the 1960s. That move is widely credited with reducing smoking rates in the US. However, any push to add cancer warnings to alcohol products would likely face resistance from the powerful beverage industry, which spends nearly $30 million annually lobbying Congress.
Murthy’s advisory coincides with the government’s ongoing efforts to update dietary guidelines, including recommendations for alcohol consumption. These guidelines, expected later this year, shape federal food programs and policies. Currently, they advise limiting alcohol to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.
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