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The surgeon general has warned US citizens that drinking alcohol is riskier than previously realized.
According to an advisory released on January 3, alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the US—right behind tobacco and obesity—and raises the risk of developing at least seven different cancers. The surgeon general is asking healthcare workers to make sure patients are aware of the link between alcohol and increased cancer risk and to promote alcohol treatment services when necessary.
“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…yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk,” US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in a statement.
Alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing breast, colorectal, esophageal, liver, mouth, throat, and voice box cancers, according to a press release from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). For example, researchers attributed 16.4% of nearly 270,000 breast cancer cases in 2019 to alcohol consumption.
The risk of developing cancer exists no matter what type of alcohol is consumed, including beer, wine, or spirits, according to HHS. For some cancers, consuming any amount up to one standard drink per day increases the risk, the agency said.
The surgeon general’s advisory calls for alcohol products to come with a label warning consumers of the increased cancer risk, as well as for experts to reassess the standard guideline limits for alcohol consumption and cancer risk. The advisory also asked public health workers to educate the public on the link between alcohol and cancer.