Alcoholic drinks should carry a label warning consumers about their cancer risks, the US Surgeon General said in an advisory on Friday, noting that their consumption increases the risk of developing breast, colon, liver and other cancers.
US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy also called for the guidelines on alcohol consumption limits to be reassessed so that people can weigh the cancer risk when deciding whether or how much to drink, alongside current warnings on birth defects and impairments when operating machinery.
“Alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity, increasing risk for at least seven types of cancer,” Mr Murthy’s office said in a statement accompanying the new report.
It is responsible for 100,000 US cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths each year, more than the 13,500 alcohol-associated traffic crash deaths, it said.
Last stop before the front line: eastern town on edge as Ukraine’s defences creak
Social media successes and pitfalls live side by side in China too
Landmark Japanese documentary on rape was nominated for an Oscar, but may never be widely seen there
Trump’s opening gambit to end war shakes Ukraine and stirs Russia
“The direct link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk is well-established for at least seven types of cancer ... regardless of the type of alcohol (eg, beer, wine, and spirits) that is consumed,” the statement said, including cancers of the oesophagus, mouth, throat and voice box. – Reuters
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025
