Yahoo Lifestyle Surgeon General Calls For Cancer Risk Label on Alcohol
If you are one of the millions of Americans who have taken up Dry January as their 2025 self improvement challenge, the Surgeon General approves. On Friday, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory warning about a “direct link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk.”
According to a press release issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, “the direct link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk is well-established for at least seven types of cancer including cancers of the breast, colorectum, esophagus, liver, mouth (oral cavity), throat (pharynx), and voice box (larynx), regardless of the type of alcohol (e.g., beer, wine, and spirits) that is consumed.”
Murthy warns that while “alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States […] the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk.” According to the HHS, even consuming just one or fewer drinks a day can increase an individual’s risk of developing cancer.
In order to build awareness of such a risk, Murthy is calling for alcohol and spirits to be fitted with a surgeon general warning label, similar to those found on tobacco products. “Additionally, public health professionals and community groups should highlight alcohol consumption as a leading modifiable cancer risk factor and strengthen and expand education efforts to increase general awareness, and 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 HHS release reads.
In an interview with The New York Times, Murthy explained that current alcohol consumption guidelines may be understating the risk of frequent alcohol consumption. “Many people out there assume that as long as they’re drinking at the limits or below the limits of current guidelines of one a day for women and two for men, that there is no risk to their health or well-being,” he said.
So if 2025 is the year you’re looking to cut down on how much you imbibe or quit altogether — take Murthy’s assessment not just as a warning, but motivation.
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