Alcohol Consumption’s Link to Cancer

As we kick off the new year, it’s the perfect time to hit reset with new resolutions, routines and habits. It’s always great to educate ourselves on new ways to prioritize our health, and this year we’re starting with rethinking those happy hour habits.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has issued an advisory warning linking alcohol consumption to the risk of cancer. According to the advisory, alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer after tobacco and obesity. It has been found that consuming any type of alcohol increases the risk for at least seven types of cancer including breast cancer and cancers of the colorectum, esophagus, larynx, liver, mouth and throat. The risk for cancer affects both men and women, but the risk for women is higher than for men.

Alcohol is the cause of about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths in the United States annually, according to the advisory. Despite these alarming numbers, and the fact that 70% of Americans consume alcohol, only about 45% of the adult American population recognize alcohol consumption as a cause of cancer. A goal now is to make the U.S. population aware of the risk. Murthy suggests starting with updating the current government warning label on alcoholic beverages to include the risk of cancer, similar to the warning on a pack of cigarettes. The current warning has not been updated since 1988 and only warns the following:

GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems.

Surgeon general advisories are typically released for urgent issues that require attention, and often result in important action. A surgeon general advisory released in 1964 changed the public’s “harmless” perception on cigarettes. This could mark the beginning of change for the alcohol industry.

Vineet Dubey of Custodio & Dubey says, “We’ve always been dedicated to protecting the health and rights of our community, and the recent Surgeon General’s warning about the link between alcohol consumption and cancer is a reminder that transparency matters – especially when it comes to what we put in our bodies. We hope a new cancer warning label gets added to alcoholic beverages in the near future. We believe in holding industries to higher standards to ensure consumers are fully aware of the risks associated with their products.”

Many are kicking off the new year with the Dry January challenge, which encourages abstaining from alcohol. It’s a great chance to reset and have a healthy and balanced start to the new year. Try it with some friends to keep each other motivated!