Alcohol’s role in causing cancer becomes clearer each year—and now United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has joined the chorus of researchers and advocates in flagging the risk. On January 3, 2025, Dr. Murthy’s office released Alcohol and Cancer Risk, calling attention to alcohol’s status as one of the leading behavioral risk factors for cancer, and urging Congress to reconsider the existing outdated cancer warning labels. The report shines stark light on how current federal policy has failed U.S. residents, falling well short of the state of medical knowledge and leaving most alcohol consumers to either educate themselves or die trying.
- Alcohol is one of the leading behavioral risk factors for cancers, behind only tobacco use and obesity.
- That risk starts increasing with the first sip.
- Women bear outsized risk, as around 60% of alcohol-related cancer deaths in women are due to breast cancer.
- Only 45% of U.S. residents are aware of the alcohol-cancer link.
- Current U.S. warning labels have not kept up with best practices for product health advisories.
- Creating an impactful warning starts with congressional action—the incoming class has this opportunity to make their mark.
Tell the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) and your members of Congress it's time to raise the public's awareness about the serious risks of consuming alcoholic beverages by requiring cancer warning labels on all alcohol containers and packaging, and on all alcohol advertising and marketing materials.