Health officials’ alarming warning links alcohol to cancer

🍷 There is a link between alcohol and cancer, the U.S. Surgeon General says

🍷 The more alcohol consumed, the greater the risk of cancer

🍷 Even drinking one alcoholic beverage a day can increase cancer risks

Heads up if you like to imbibe adult beverages.

The U.S. Surgeon General has issued an alarming advisory today warning about the link between alcohol and cancer.

Dr. Vivek Murthy issued the Surgeon General’s Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, saying “The more alcohol consumed, the greater the risk of cancer.”

Murthy is now calling for warning labels to appear on packaging in the same way it does on cigarettes.

“Until now, the risk has been known but downplayed by a culture where alcohol is often celebrated. A decision to require warning labels would need to come from Congress,” the advisory stated.

But in 2020, a coalition of seven health advocacy groups petitioned the U.S. government to adopt a cancer warning label for alcoholic beverages. It didn’t go anywhere.

The advisory highlights alcohol as a leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., contributing to nearly 100-thousand cancer cases and 20,000 deaths each year.

Drinking alcohol even at moderate levels can increase a person’s risk of developing seven cancers including mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box, liver, colon and rectum, and breast cancer in women, Murthy reported. The risk is associated with as little as one drink a day, possible less, he added.

The American Association for Cancer Research also issued a recent study finding that moderate alcohol consumption may lead to serious consequences. In this study, researchers suggest that alcohol may play a serious role in the alarming increase in cancers among younger adults, especially cancers of the gastrointestinal system.

The research also indicates that those who reduce alcohol consumption or better yet, stop drinking altogether, can decrease their risk of developing alcohol-related cancers by 8 percent and can reduce their risk of all cancers by 4 percent compared to those who sustain or increase their alcohol consumption.

According to Dr. Jamie Koprivnikar, an oncologist with Hackensack Meridian Health’s John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, the best option is to completely abstain from drinking beer, wine, or any liquor.

The less a person drinks, the lower the risk. Aim for no more than one drink per day for women, and two drinks per day for men, Koprivnikar suggested.

Eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly and avoid smoking to reduce cancer risks, she said.

Always talk to your doctor. They can help you understand your individual risk and make better decisions about your alcohol consumption.

The warning from The U.S. Surgeon General comes at a time when many Americans use January to explore the “sober curious” trend during what is dubbed “Dry January or Dryuary.”

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