The US Surgeon General has called for warning labels to be placed on alcohol highlighting the link between alcohol and cancer.
Dr. Vivek Murthy today issued a new advisory recommending that all alcoholic beverages include a warning similar to that on cigarettes on their packaging.
He said research in other countries had shown that images showing the health effects of smoking would work better with alcohol.
Alcohol is a leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., the advisory notes, linked to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 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, including breast, colon, liver and throat.
Labels currently printed on bottles and cans of alcoholic beverages include small text warning 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.
Looking to other countries for inspiration, its notice notes: ‘There are 47 countries that require health and safety-related alcohol warning labels.
Dr. Murthy says warning labels with pictures or periodically changing messages have been found to be most effective.
‘South Korea requires a specific cancer warning and, spurred by existing evidence, Ireland enacted a new requirement to display a cancer warning label on alcohol-containing beverages starting in 2026. This label will read: “There is a direct link between alcohol and deadly cancers.”‘
Surgeon General Notices are public statements designed to “bring the attention of the American people to a critical public health issue.”
Dr. Murthy does not have the authority to push for policy changes himself, but his recommendations can influence hospitals, state and local health departments, and other government agencies.
It highlights in its latest notice: “The power to change the label declaration rests with Congress.”
It is unclear whether a Republican-controlled Congress or the incoming Trump administration would support the measure.
Trump is famously teetotal and his nominee for Health and Human Services director, Robert F Kennedy Jr., is a former alcoholic who has backed calls for tighter regulation around another industry strongly linked to cancer: junk food.
In his warning, Dr. Murthy warned that the more alcohol consumed, the higher 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.
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).
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.