The New York Times article by Roni Caryn Rabin explains that Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, has called for a cancer warning to be included on alcoholic beverages, similar to those included on cigarette labels. The reason? New research linking alcoholic beverages to seven types of cancer.
The Surgeon General, who is the US’s leading public health spokesperson, says that alcohol is the third most common and preventable cause of cancer after tobacco and obesity. Read this article for all the information on this research.
If you want to cut down on alcohol, you can try alcohol-free drinks. Our non-alcoholic drinks store has all the alternatives.
Research on the relationship between alcohol and cancer
There is increasing research linking alcohol consumption, sometimes even within the recommended limits, with several types of cancer. Current alcohol labels warn about consumption during pregnancy or before driving and operating machinery, and about general health risks. But according to Vivek Murthy, “most Americans are unaware of the risk of cancer” which causes about 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 deaths a year in the United States.
“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 (e.g., beer, wine and spirits) consumed,” Murthy said in a statement.
This includes an increased risk of breast (in women), throat, liver, esophagus, mouth, larynx and colon cancers.
In addition, Murthy has called for a re-evaluation of recommended limits for alcohol consumption and for increased efforts to educate about alcohol and cancer. He also suggests that doctors encourage screening for alcohol use and that efforts to increase general awareness be expanded.
We recommend our article on the benefits of quitting alcohol and tips for buying zero-alcohol drinks.
Health warnings on alcoholic drinks
Currently, 47 countries require warnings on alcoholic drinks, but cancer is rarely mentioned. Ireland is the first country in the world to impose a warning linking any level of alcohol consumption to cancer. From 2026, it will be a legal requirement for all alcohol bottles in Ireland to carry the label.
In the United States, Congress must pass the law to change the warning labels, which haven’t been updated since 1988. It is not clear that the Trump administration would support the change, although the president does not drink. Also, the head of the Health and Human Services Department, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., swore to quit alcohol and drugs decades ago and says he regularly attends AA meetings.
Many countries have also revised recommended limits for consumption after new studies by the World Health Organization indicated that no amount of alcohol is safe to drink.
Here is the full New York Times article.
