The Surgeon General is warning Americans that alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer and recommending that health labels be updated.
In an advisory released Friday, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned that alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer. It follows tobacco and obesity and increases risk for at least seven types of cancer, including breast, colon, liver, mouth, esophagus and more.
This correlation applies to all types of alcohol including beer, wine and spirits. Cancer risk increases for both men and women with greater consumption, according to the Surgeon General’s office.
“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 – greater than the 13,500 alcohol-associated traffic crash fatalities per year in the U.S. – yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk,” Murthy said in a statement.
The advisory recommends efforts to increase awareness of this link, including an update to the existing Surgeon General’s health warning label on alcoholic beverages. Additionally, the advisory calls for a rethinking of the guidelines limits on alcohol consumption to account for cancer risk.
The warning, which has not been updated since it first appeared in 1988, says "women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects" and that "consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems.” Congress has the power to change the label.
The advisory also recommends that public health professionals and healthcare providers highlight alcohol consumption as a leading preventable cancer risk factor, and increase education efforts.
This latest advisory runs somewhat counter to a recent scientific review by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The review, which will be considered in updating the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, found that moderate alcohol consumption could be tied to lower overall mortality.
The NASEM report did conclude with moderate certainty, however, that moderate alcohol consumption is also associated with a higher risk of breast cancer among women.
For more news, visit www.Agri-Pulse.com.
