A just-released advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General calls for alcohol labels to include a clear and obvious statement about the correlation between alcohol consumption and cancer. Basically, beer labels and other alcohol labels would include a Surgeon General’s warning similar to the one on cigarette labels, one that more directly identifies alcohol consumption as a cause of cancer. At the time of publication, the Beer Institute, Brewers Association, and other industry organizations had yet to comment on what this might mean for the nation’s breweries.
The advisory outlines the correlation between alcohol consumption and cancer, noting that alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer following tobacco use and obesity. It also offers some information about the causal effects of alcohol on certain types of cancer–how alcohol consumption increases the risk. If you’d like to learn more details, you can see the advisory here (pdf).
Beyond that, the advisory calls for greater public awareness about the issue. According to the advisory, “Alcohol use is very common—in 2019-2020, 72% of U.S. adults reported they consumed one or more drinks per week, but less than half of U.S. adults are aware of the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk.”
In the U.S., about 20,000 people die each year because of alcohol-related cancer. According to the advisory, breast cancer accounts for the majority (~60%) of alcohol-related cancer deaths in women, whereas liver cancer (~33%) together with colorectal cancer (an additional ~21%) account for the majority of alcohol-related cancer deaths in men.
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The number one action item suggested by the advisory involves updating the existing Surgeon General’s health warning label on alcohol-containing beverages to include a warning about the risk of cancer associated with alcohol consumption. Also, to pursue changes to label characteristics to make the warning label more visible, prominent, and effective in increasing awareness about cancer risks associated with alcohol consumption. You can learn more and see the complete advisory here.
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