The US Surgeon General has called for drastic changes to alcohol awareness in the United States because of its troubling links to cancer.
Dr Vivek Murthy says alcohol labels should be updated as a matter of priority to include cancer-related risks.
Labels currently printed on bottles and cans of alcoholic beverages warn about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy or before driving and using other machines.
However, Dr. Murthy says the label statement, which has not changed since its creation in 1988, should be amended to warn about alcohol-related cancer risks.
Alcohol is a leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., the advisory notes, contributing to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths each year.
Research over the past four decades has revealed a “causal relationship” between alcohol consumption and an increased risk of at least seven different types of cancer.
Cancers for which a link has been established are breast, colorectal, esophagus, liver, mouth, throat and larynx.
Dr. Murthy says warning labels with pictures or messages that change periodically have been found to be the most effective.
The US Surgeon General has called for drastic changes to alcohol awareness in the United States due to worrying links to cancer.
Looking to other countries for inspiration, its notice notes: ‘There are 47 countries that require health and safety-related alcohol warning labels.
‘South Korea requires a specific cancer warning and, driven by existing evidence, Ireland enacted a new requirement to display a cancer warning label on alcohol-containing beverages starting in 2026.
‘This label will say: “There is a direct link between alcohol and deadly cancers.”‘
While a link has been established between alcohol consumption and seven types of cancer, more research is needed into the potential effect on additional sites such as the skin, prostate, pancreas and stomach.
Regarding consumption, the advisory warns that the more alcohol consumed, the greater the risk of cancer.
For certain cancers, such as breast, mouth and throat, “evidence shows that this risk may start to increase by about one drink or less per day.”
And when it comes to the types of alcohol linked to increased cancer risk, experts say the link remains true “regardless of the type of alcohol (e.g., beer, wine, and spirits).”
In terms of how alcohol causes cancer, the advisory says there are “four distinct ways” it acts within the body.
First, alcohol breaks down into acetaldehyde once it is consumed. Acetaldehyde is a substance that causes cancer by binding to and damaging DNA.
When DNA is damaged, a cell can begin to grow uncontrollably and create a cancerous tumor.
Dr Vivek Murthy says alcohol labels should be updated as a matter of priority to include cancer-related risks.
Second, alcohol generates “reactive oxygen species, which increase inflammation and can damage the body’s DNA, proteins, and lipids through a process called oxidation.”
Third, alcohol alters hormone levels (including estrogen), which experts say can influence the development of breast cancer.
And finally, carcinogens from other sources, especially tobacco smoke particles, can dissolve in alcohol, making them easier to absorb into the body, increasing the risk of mouth and throat cancer.
In addition to updated labeling, Dr. Murthy has made other recommendations, including reevaluating recommended limits for alcohol consumption.
Current US dietary guidelines recommend that American men consume no more than two alcoholic drinks per day and women consume no more than one alcoholic drink per day.
It defined an alcoholic beverage as a drink containing about 14 grams of pure alcohol, equivalent to a regular beer, a glass of wine or a shot of liquor.
For decades, studies suggested that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol had certain benefits, which were thought to be related to its de-stressing effects.
Dr. Murthy says warning labels with pictures or periodically changing messages have been found to be most effective.
But in recent years, research has gone in the opposite direction.
The new Dietary Guidelines are due to be published in 2026 and it is thought that Americans could soon be urged to drink no more than two bottles of beer or glasses of wine a week.
The guidelines will eventually be approved by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
These will be headed by Donald Trump, appointments that could include Robert F. Kennedy Junior as head of HHS.
Both Donald Trump, a lifelong teetotaler, and Robert F. Kennedy Junior, a former addict, do not drink alcohol.
Sources close to RFK Jnr. They say they believe it would support the new guidelines, but would like to see the evidence on which the recommendation is based.
More than 60 million Americans report binge drinking at least once a year, and on average, Americans who drink alcohol report consuming about four alcoholic drinks per week.
The National Cancer Institute says it is estimated that about 75,000 cancer cases are related to alcohol each year, including cancers of the liver, head and neck, esophagus and colon.
The CDC says about 20,000 adults die each year from alcohol-related cancers.