Alcoholic beverages should have a warning label similar to cigarettes, indicating their carcinogenic risks, according to Vivek Murthy, the top public health advisor of the US federal government. Murthy points out that many Americans are unaware that alcohol increases the risk of various cancers, including breast, colorectal, and liver cancers.
“The direct link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk is established for at least seven types of cancer, regardless of the type of alcohol,” states Murthy. Besides the warning label, Murthy recommends revising alcohol consumption guidelines to highlight these risks.
Alcohol consumption ranks as the third leading cause of cancer in the US after tobacco and obesity, with 100,000 people diagnosed and 20,000 deaths annually attributed to alcohol-related cancers. In the US, alcoholic beverages already carry warnings advising against consumption by pregnant women, drivers, and machinery operators.
Source: NOS