US Surgeon General calls for health warning labels on alcohol to minimize cancer deaths
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Alcohol consumption contributes to around 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 deaths each year. The direct link between consumption and cancer risk is “well-established” regardless of the type of alcohol consumed, with more than 16 percent of breast cancer cases attributable to drinking alcohol. The risk increases as consumption increases.
![[U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy speaks onstage during the Find Your Light Benefit Concert For Arts Education in New York City last October. Murthy says that less alcohol consumption is better when it comes to reducing the risk of cancer]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/03/14/GettyImages-2181836604.jpg)
“For certain cancers, like breast, mouth, and throat cancers, evidence shows that the risk of developing cancer may start to increase around one or fewer drinks per day. An individual’s risk of developing cancer due to alcohol consumption is determined by a complex interaction of biological, environmental, social, and economic factors,” the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.
In addition to calling for an update to the existing Surgeon General’s health warning label on alcohol-containing beverages to include the cancer risk, the advisory calls for a reassessment of the guideline limits for alcohol consumption to account for cancer risk. It also advises people to be aware of the risk when considering whether or how much to drink.
Public health professionals and groups are advised to highlight consumption as a leading modifiable cancer risk factor and strengthen and expand education efforts to increase general awareness. Furthermore, health care providers should inform patients in clinical settings about this link and promote the use of alcohol screening and treatment referrals as needed, the department said.
