Surgeon General Makes the Case for Cancer Warnings on Alcohol

Since 1966, packages of cigarettes sold in the United States have included warning labels advising smokers about the health risks of what they’re about to partake in. Could we see something similar coming to bottles of beer, wine and spirits in the near future? As The New York Times reports, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy has called for an expansion of warning labels on bottles of alcohol to warn against alcohol raising the risk of developing cancer.

The Surgeon General’s argument has two components. The first is that drinking alcohol can raise the risk for certain kinds of cancer in its own right; the other, that alcohol consumption also lowers the body’s natural defenses against consuming carcinogens.

According to the Surgeon General’s office, alcohol puts drinkers at risk for “at least” seven types of cancer: breast, colorectal, esophagal, voice box, liver, mouth and throat. The announcement cites four different ways in which alcohol consumption can lead to a higher risk of cancer. One, as mentioned above, involves the human body absorbing more carcinogens after drinking alcohol.

The Surgeon General’s report also shows that alcohol breaks down into acetaldehyde in the body, which can increase a drinker’s risk for cancer. The report also notes that alcohol can lead to oxidative stress — another cancer risk — and can affect the body’s hormones, heightening the risk of breast cancer.

In total, the report argues, alcohol “[contributes] to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths each year” in the U.S. In addition to the seven parts of the body mentioned earlier, the report also states that “further research is needed on the potential effect of alcohol consumption on increasing cancer risk at additional sites such as skin, prostate, pancreas and stomach.”

What Are the Nation’s Hardest-Drinking Counties?

A study of CDC data has some surprising results

The office goes onto recommend several steps to address the connection between alcohol consumption and cancer. One step involves calling upon Congress to expand the warning labels on bottles of alcohol, a step that South Korea has taken and Ireland will soon implement.

The Surgeon General’s office also made the case for updating official recommendations about alcohol consumption and educating the public about the health risks associated with alcohol use. Will this suffice to change the nation’s attitudes about drinking? That remains to be seen — and a new administration coming into power is one more variable that could affect things here.