WASHINGTON — Alcohol is a leading cause of cancer, a risk that should be clearly labeled on drinks Americans consume, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthyproposed on Friday.
Murthy’s advisory comes as research and evidence mounts about the bad effects that alcohol has on human health.
Americans should be better informed about the link between alcohol and cancer, in particular, Murthy argues in his advisory, noting alcohol consumption is to blame for nearly one million preventable cancer cases in the U.S. over the last decade. About 20,000 people die every year from those alcohol-related cancer cases, according to his advisory.
Bottles of beer, wine and liquor already carry warning labels about the risk of birth defects when a pregnant woman consumes alcohol. But Murthy’s proposed label would go even further, raising awareness about the risk for cancer, too.
Consuming alcohol raises the risk of developing at least seven types of cancer diseases, including liver, breast and throat cancer, research has found. His advisory also notes that as a person’s alcohol consumption goes up, so does the risk for developing those illnesses.
“For individuals, be aware that cancer risk increases as you drink more alcohol,” Murthy wrote Friday on the social media platform X. “As you consider whether or how much to drink, keep in mind that less is better when it comes to cancer risk.”
The advisory notes that the current label statement on alcoholic beverages has remained unchanged since its inception in 1988.
Any change to the health warning label on alcohol would require an act of Congress.
President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, has announced Janette Nesheiwat, a Fox News contributor and medical director for an urgent care company in New York, as his pick to be the next attorney general.