Alcohol’s cancer risk should be stated on labels, surgeon general says
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Alcohol’s cancer risk should be stated on labels, surgeon general says

By AMANDA SEITZ

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alcohol is a leading cause of cancer, a risk that should be clearly labeled on drinks Americans consume, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said on Friday.

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Murthy’s advisory comes as research and evidence mounts about the bad effects that alcohol has on human health.

Americans should particularly be better informed about the link between alcohol and cancer, Murthy argues in his advisory, noting alcohol consumption is to blame for nearly 1 million preventable cancer cases in the U.S. over the last decade. About 20,000 people die every year from those alcohol-related cancer cases, according to his advisory.

Since 1988, bottles of beer, wine and liquor have carried warning labels about the risk of birth defects when a pregnant woman consumes alcohol. But Murthy’s proposed label would go even further, raising awareness about the risk for cancer, too.

Such mandatory warnings would require congressional approval.

Consuming alcohol raises the risk of developing at least seven types of cancer diseases, including liver, breast and throat cancer, research has found. His advisory also notes that as a person’s alcohol consumption goes up, so does the risk for developing those illnesses — and that evidence shows the risk of some cancers may start to increase with even less than one drink a day.

“For individuals, be aware that cancer risk increases as you drink more alcohol,” Murthy wrote Friday on the social media platform X. “As you consider whether or how much to drink, keep in mind that less is better when it comes to cancer risk.”