RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A new year and a new advisory from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.
The 22-page advisory says alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer in America after obesity and tobacco use. It outlines data on the relationship between cancer and alcohol and advises Americans of the risk.
According to the advisory, more than 70% of American adults say they had at least one drink a week in 2019-2020, but less than half of adults knew about the risk of alcohol consumption as it relates to cancer.
“I think it’s definitely long overdue for educating the public on the potential cancer risks of drinking alcohol, particularly in excess or beyond moderation,” said Dr. Nicholas DeVito, an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University, who also sees patients with gastrointestinal cancers.
DeVito said health officials have known about the relationship between cancer and alcohol for years.
“This has been well known for decades, particularly when it when it relates to things like esophageal cancer,” he said. “Some of the more recent, but better appreciated in large population studies include breast cancer and colorectal cancer. These links thought before, but more recently it’s been shown women are increasing risk of breast cancer by drinking outside of that moderation window of one drink per day.”