United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy says that beer, wine and liquor bottles should contain the same warnings that appear on cigarette packs given the documented connection between alcohol and several cancers, including breast cancer and colon cancer.
His Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk describes the scientific evidence for the causal link between alcohol consumption and increased risk for at least seven different types of cancer, including breast (in women), colorectum, esophagus, voice box, liver, mouth, and throat. The Advisory also helps to better inform the public about the relationship and offers key recommendations to reduce alcohol-related cancers.
Booze bottles and cans already warn consumers about drinking while pregnant or before driving and operating other machinery, and about general “health risks.” Dr. Murthy says alcohol contributes to 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 related deaths each year and that fact should be made explicit to those who might consider drinking.
There’s been some controversy here because federal dietary guidelines assert that “drinking less alcohol is better for health than drinking more” and suggest a limit of two drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women.
The World Health Organization, on the other hand, says there is no safe limit for alcohol consumption, however, and 47 nations require health warnings on alcoholic beverages.
Alcohol’s impact on the human body has always been well-documented; this Advisory synthesizes the available data on alcohol and cancer and gives you yet another good reason to quit drinking.
