Surgeon General calls to add cancer warning to alcohol

Calls for warning label on alcohol

FOX 13's Kylie Jones reports on the U.S. Surgeon General calling on Congress to place new health warnings on alcohol and how the overconsumption of alcohol can lead to serious health risks.

TAMPA, Fla. - The U.S. Surgeon General is calling to add cancer warning labels to alcohol.

In a recent advisory, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to include a cancer risk warning in the warning labels on alcohol.

Tweet from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy calling on Congress to include a cancer risk warning in the warning labels on alcohol.

He says alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., behind tobacco use and obesity.

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"The fact that alcohol is associated with cancer is nothing new. Alcohol is an established carcinogen," Dr. Kathleen Egan at Moffitt Cancer Center said.

She says alcohol has been linked to at least seven different types of cancer for years.

"Including colorectal cancer, breast cancer, head and neck cancer," Egan said.

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In his advisory, Murthy said alcohol contributes to about 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths each year.

"These cancers are attributed to alcohol consumption at higher levels, although the lowest level that is considered safe is debated," Egan said.

Beer being poured from the tap.

Doctors in Florida say the type of alcohol doesn’t impact the level of risk.

"What the research shows is that any level, down to a few grams a week, will increase risk minimally," Egan said. "It's really when we start getting to those higher levels, two drinks or more, that we start to see a more substantial increase in risk."

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Egan says there’s a clear dose-response relationship between alcohol and breast cancer.

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"In breast cancer, we don't have many ways to reduce risk," Egan said. "So, avoiding alcohol, or at least keeping it to a minimum, may be wise for women."

In terms of the suggested level of alcohol consumption, Egan says less is more.

"Light drinking and cancer risk are probably not anything you need to worry too much about," Egan said. "It is really the heavier, higher levels of drinking that have been most associated with cancer risk." 2:13

The U.S. Surgeon General is also calling for a revision of the guideline limits for alcohol consumption.

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