The U.S. surgeon general on Friday called for alcoholic beverages to carry labels warning of their connection to cancer, just as cigarettes do.
The recommendation from Surgeon General Vivek Murthy came as he released a new report that found that alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, with alcohol leading to a higher risk of at least seven types of cancer, from colorectal and liver to throat and, in women, breast.
Murthy’s call for warning labels — which would have to be authorized by Congress — reflects the growing body of research tying alcohol consumption, even in limited amounts, to increased chances of cancer, without offering any health benefits. Public health groups have also been stepping up their advocacy, urging policymakers to take steps to increase awareness about the risks. But such calls have run into resistance from the alcohol lobby, and some scientific panels have also taken divergent views on the possible health benefits of limited drinking.
A major report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released last month, for example, found that moderate drinking was associated with lower rates of death generally and in particular from heart attacks and stroke, compared with no alcohol consumption. The report did find an association with increased risk of breast cancer with moderate consumption. The National Academies report is set to inform the next version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as will a separate analysis from the Department of Health and Human Services. The latter report has not yet been released.
Other scientists argue alcohol has demonstrated no health benefits.
On social media Friday, Murthy wrote that the greater individuals’ alcohol consumption, the higher cancer risks they face. But he said broadly that “consuming any type of alcohol — beer, wine, or spirits — increases the risk for at least seven types of cancer.” His report found that alcohol contributes to 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths each year.
Murthy’s recommendations included updating the current warning on alcoholic drinks — which says pregnant women shouldn’t drink, that alcohol impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and that it generally may cause health problems — to specify that they come with an increased cancer risk.
Murthy, who is in the final days of his position as the incoming Trump administration prepares to take over the government, also called for more education efforts around the fact that alcohol, even in moderate amounts, can cause cancer.
“For individuals, be aware that cancer risk increases as you drink more alcohol,” Murthy wrote on social media. “As you consider whether or how much to drink, keep in mind that less is better when it comes to cancer risk.”