The summary
- A report from the U.S. surgeon general suggests that labels on alcoholic beverages should warn of cancer risk.
- The doctors expressed their agreement.
- For people wondering about the long-term harm of drinking alcohol and whether there is a safe limit, here’s what experts think you should know.
Doctors applauded a new report Friday from the U.S. surgeon general that highlights links between alcohol consumption and seven types of cancer and suggests that alcoholic beverages should come with cancer warning labels.
The link between alcohol and cancer is well established, and many doctors have long called on the federal government to clarify the connection with the public.
“For years, the AMA has stated that alcohol use at all levels, not just binge drinking or addictive alcohol use, is a modifiable risk factor for cancer,” said Bruce Scott, president of the American Medical Association, in a statement. “And yet, despite decades of compelling evidence of this link, too many people in the public are unaware of the risks associated with alcohol.”
In the new report, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy outlines the scientific evidence linking alcohol to cancer and offers recommendations to reduce rates of alcohol-related cancers. In addition to proposing warning labels on alcoholic beverages, Murthy suggests reevaluating the recommended limits for alcohol consumption in the United States.
Six in 10 adults in the United States report drinking, but several doctors told NBC News that their patients are generally unaware that alcohol consumption can lead to cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx, liver, breast and colon.
“We haven’t done a good job of public health messaging about alcohol in the United States,” said Dr. Rotonya Carr, chief of gastroenterology at the University of Washington.
The new report may raise questions among some people about the long-term harm of alcohol consumption, safety limits and how to reverse negative health effects. Here’s what medical experts across the country think people should know.
What level of alcohol consumption is safe?
The World Health Organization says there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption. As alcohol breaks down in the body, it can damage DNA and proteins in ways that promote the development of cancer. It can also change hormone levels and make it easier for the body to absorb other carcinogens like tobacco smoke, increasing the risk of breast, mouth, or throat cancer.
“The safest thing for all kinds of health problems, not just cancer, is to not consume alcohol,” said Paul Gilbert, an associate professor at the University of Iowa College of Public Health. . “But, of course, few people take this route, because alcohol is a very important and central part of our social and cultural customs.”
The health risks associated with drinking alcohol are lower if you drink less and higher if you drink more. A 2020 study found that among women, the lifetime risk of developing alcohol-related cancer was 17% for those who consumed less than one drink per week, but 22% for those who drank two glasses a day. For men, the risks were 10% and 13%, respectively.
How does alcohol consumption compare to other factors that increase cancer risk?
Alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, behind tobacco and obesity, according to the surgeon general’s report. Alcohol is estimated to contribute to nearly 100,000 cases of cancer and approximately 20,000 cancer deaths each year.
The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies alcohol as a “Group 1” carcinogen, meaning there is sufficient evidence that it can cause cancer in humans. Other carcinogens in this group include tobacco, asbestos and radiation.
Given this, Carr said, people should be as concerned about the health risks of drinking alcohol as they are about smoking.
If someone stops drinking, can they undo the damage?
Compared to smoking, doctors say, there is less research on how long it takes to see a reduction in cancer risk after a person stops drinking. (Studies have estimated that people who quit smoking 10 years ago are half as likely to die from lung cancer as someone who currently smokes cigarettes.)
Although some research has shown that just one month of sobriety – a dry January, for example – can lead to weight loss and improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol levels, the story is less optimistic in this regard. that relates to cancer risk, Carr said. She noted that it can take at least 20 years after a person stops drinking for their risk of liver cancer to equal that of someone who abstained from alcohol.
“Alcohol causes damage at the cellular level,” she said. “This damage can sometimes be repaired, but over a very, very long period of time. »
Dr. Frances Lee, a hepatologist at Mount Sinai in New York, said many factors could influence the extent to which a person might see benefits from reducing their alcohol consumption, including their family history.
“For someone who drinks a lot, there’s probably a lot of DNA damage,” she said. “If there’s a history of certain cancers, then maybe they can’t eliminate that risk.”
What about the US dietary guidelines regarding alcohol?
Current guidelines recommend drinking no more than one drink per day for women and two per day for men, based on an overall assessment of the health risks associated with alcohol. According to a study last year, about 83% of annual alcohol-related cancer deaths could be avoided if adults reduced their consumption within these limits.
However, the guidelines also point to “emerging evidence” that even drinking within recommended limits may increase the overall risk of cancer, heart disease or death.
The guidelines are expected to be updated this year, so Murthy’s suggestion that alcohol limits should be reassessed could factor into that process. An upcoming report from a group within the Department of Health and Human Services will likely also shed light on the update.
Last year, Canada issued new guidelines stating that no amount of alcohol is healthy.
What about research suggesting alcohol has health benefits?
Over the years, some studies have highlighted the potential health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. This includes research suggesting that antioxidants in red wine may improve heart health, as well as a December report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that found moderate alcohol consumption is linked at a lower risk of death than abstaining from alcohol.
However, many doctors and scientists are not convinced.
“There has been a lot of talk in recent years about the potential benefits of red wine. Much of this has been difficult to validate in subsequent studies,” said Dr. William Dahut, scientific director of the American Cancer Society.
Even if drinking alcohol had some health benefits, experts say, they would be outweighed by the risks.
“I don’t think you’ll ever find a doctor who will say to a patient, ‘You’re not drinking at all.’ Go ahead and have two drinks in the evening,” Lee said.
Are some types of alcohol better than others?
Doctors said it is more important to pay attention to the amount or concentration of the alcohol, rather than whether it is alcohol, beer or wine, because the molecules of Alcohol themselves are responsible for increasing a person’s risk of cancer.
Several experts also cautioned that it’s not always easy to determine how much alcohol a drink contains.
Dr. Kenneth Nahum, an oncologist at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, said spiked seltzers and teas in particular — which have become popular among young people — could be misleading in terms of alcohol content.
“They drink it like it’s a soft drink,” he said. “They don’t even realize they’re drinking so much.”
Will the surgeon general’s warning make a difference?
Gilbert said it was unlikely people would immediately change their drinking habits after Friday’s report, but he noted it could eventually lead to changes in how people perceive their risk.
“This opinion is a good step in the direction of simply disseminating information so that everyone can be better informed and make the best choice for themselves,” he said.
According to a 2023 analysis, adults under 35 are already less likely to drink alcohol than they were decades ago. However, alcohol consumption has increased among those aged 55 and over. Experts suggest that young adults may socialize less in person than previous generations, or they simply prefer other substances.
“Some are drinking less, and that could be because vaping and edibles are more available,” said Elizabeth Kovacs, professor of surgery at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
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