WASHINGTON (AP) — Alcohol is a number one reason for cancer, a risk that must be clearly labeled on drinks Americans devour. said US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Friday.
Murthy's advice comes at a time when research and evidence is accumulating in regards to the negative effects of alcohol on human health.
Americans particularly must be higher informed in regards to the connection between alcohol and cancer, Murthy argues in his guide, stating that alcohol consumption has been chargeable for nearly one million preventable cancer cases within the United States over the past decade. According to his report, around 20,000 people die from these alcohol-related cancers yearly.
Since 1988, warnings have been placed on beer, wine and liquor bottles warning of the danger of birth defects if a pregnant woman consumes alcohol. But Murthy's proposed labeling would go further and lift awareness of the cancer risk.
Such mandatory warnings would require congressional approval.
Research has found that drinking alcohol increases the danger of developing a minimum of seven varieties of cancer, including liver, breast and throat cancer. His report also states that as alcohol consumption increases, so does the danger of developing these diseases – and that there may be evidence that the danger of some cancers begins to extend with lower than one drink a day.
“Keep in mind that the risk of cancer for individuals increases as you drink more alcohol,” Murthy wrote on the social media platform X on Friday. “When considering whether or how much you must drink, do not forget that less is best in terms of cancer risk.”
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