U.S. Surgeon General Calls for Alcohol Warning Labels to Highlight Cancer Risks: How to Protect Your Health
Alcohol raises cancer risks for seven types of cancer—learn about the Surgeon General's new advisory
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, is urging alcoholic beverage labels to include cancer risk warnings. The new Surgeon General’s Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk—made available to the public on January 3, 2025—examines the evidence linking alcohol consumption to several cancers. It also outlines steps to better educate the public on these risks. Keep reading to find out what Dr. Murthy wants people to know.
What does the U.S. Surgeon General’s latest advisory say?
The Surgeon General’s latest notice recommends increasing attention to help reduce alcohol-related cancer cases and deaths. This includes updating the existing Surgeon General’s health warning label on alcohol-containing beverages, which currently does not mention cancer risk and has remained unchanged since its inception in 1988.
One key step is making labels more visible, prominent and effective in increasing awareness about alcohol’s cancer risks. Dr. Murthy also recommends:
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- Reassessing recommended limits for alcohol consumption to account for the latest evidence on cancer risk
- Strengthening and expanding education efforts to increase general awareness that alcohol consumption causes cancer
- Informing patients in clinical settings about the link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk
- Promoting the use of alcohol screening and provide brief intervention and referral to treatment as needed
- Highlighting alcohol consumption as a leading modifiable cancer risk factor and incorporating proven alcohol reduction strategies into cancer prevention initiatives
The advisory also encourages individuals to be aware of the relationship between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk when considering whether or how much to drink.
“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,” said Dr. Murthy in a news release. “This Advisory lays out steps we can all take to increase awareness of alcohol’s cancer risk and minimize harm.”
The link between alcohol and cancer
The advisory details decades of research showing that alcohol increases the risk of at least seven cancers, including breast, colorectal, esophageal, liver, mouth, throat and laryngeal cancers. This applies to every type of alcohol, and there are various mechanisms by which the substance can lead to cancer.
The advisory explains that alcohol breaks down in the body into acetaldehyde, a compound that causes cancer by binding to and damaging DNA. When DNA is damaged, a cell can begin to grow uncontrollably and create a cancerous tumor.
Additionally, alcohol generates “reactive oxygen species, which increase inflammation and can damage DNA, proteins and lipids in the body through a process called oxidation.”
Alcohol also alters hormone levels (including estrogen), which can play a role in the development of breast cancer. The advisory also states that 16.4 percent of total breast cancer cases are attributable to alcohol consumption.
Carcinogens, especially from tobacco smoke, dissolve in alcohol, increasing the risk of mouth and throat cancers.
“The best-established evidence is on the first two pathways of acetaldehyde and inflammation,” the statement adds. “Hormonal regulation and alcohol as a solvent are widely agreed upon to be important pathways for carcinogenesis but are not yet fully understood. Research also continues on other possible mechanisms, including folate deficiency, by which alcohol can cause cancer.”
In the U.S., there are about 100,000 alcohol-related cancer cases and about 20,000 alcohol-related cancer deaths annually, according to the advisory. In specific cancers, including breast, mouth and throat, evidence shows that the risk of developing cancer may start to increase around one or fewer drinks per day, it states.
Ultimately, a person’s risk of developing cancer due to alcohol consumption is determined by a complex interaction of biological, environmental, social and economic factors.
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