Surgeon basic points new advisory

A customer drinks a glass of beer at the Saxton Pub in Austin, Texas, April 5, 2023.

Brandon Bell | Getty Images

The U.S. surgeon general issued a new advisory warning Friday about the link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk, and pushed for policy changes to help reduce the number of alcohol-related cancers.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said there is a “well-established” link between drinking alcohol and at least seven types of cancer, including breast, colorectum, esophagus and liver. For cancers including breast, mouth and throat cancers, increased risk may start around one or fewer drinks per day, according to his office.

As part of the advisory, the surgeon general called for policy changes that could help reduce alcohol-related cancer. He pushed for alcohol labels to be more visible and include a warning about the increased risk of cancer, to reassess recommended limits for alcohol consumption based on the latest research and expand education to increase general awareness that alcohol consumption increases cancer risk.

The efforts outlined in the advisory are similar to those already implemented to lessen tobacco use, including a slew of mandated warnings on packaging and in stores.

The surgeon general advised people to consider the link between alcohol consumption and greater cancer risk when deciding whether to drink or how much to have.

Alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., behind only tobacco and obesity, according to the advisory.

“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 press release.

Shares of alcohol manufacturers including Molson-Coors and Anheuser-Busch initially dipped more than 1% following the advisory.

According to the advisory, 72% of U.S. adults said they had one or more drinks per week between 2019 and 2020, but less than half of all adults are aware of the link between drinking and cancer risk.

Worldwide, 741,300 cases of cancer were attributed to alcohol consumption in 2020, according to the surgeon general.

On average, alcohol-related cancer deaths shorten the lives of those who die by 15 years.

Younger Americans are already increasingly stepping away from alcohol, and many are leaning into nonalcoholic alternatives. About two-thirds of adults ages 18 to 34 say alcohol consumption negatively affects health, versus less than 40% of people ages 35 to 54, and 55 and over, according to a Gallup survey released in August.