DENVER — U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory highlighting alcohol consumption as a leading cause of preventable cancer, after tobacco and obesity.
The advisory comes with a proposal to apply cancer warning labels to alcohol bottles.
“Considerable evidence supports the use of health warning labels, including promising evidence toward their role in raising awareness about alcohol-related risks,” Dr. Murthy said in his advisory.
- Read the advisory below
The proposal would be the first change to alcohol warning labels in 35 years. While alcohol use is common, the surgeon general said not enough is being done to educate the public.
“72% of U.S. adults reported they consumed one or more drinks per week, but less than half of those adults are aware of the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk,” the advisory reads.
The advisory attributes 741,300 cancer cases worldwide to alcohol consumption in 2020. In the U.S., there are about 20,000 cancer deaths related to alcohol consumption.