Dr. Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General of the United States, issued a public health advisory late last week highlighting the link between alcohol consumption and the development of cancer. According to him, it is urgent to strengthen prevention by adopting more visible and explicit warning messages on alcohol bottlessimilar to those in force for cigarette packets.
Better information on alcohol bottles
In this opinion, he emphasizes that scientific studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of illustrated messages and rotating to alert consumers. To date, 47 countries require such labels on alcohol bottles, but the United States is not yet one of them.
« It is crucial that citizens are informed of the risks, even at low consumption levels», insists Dr Murthy. The objective is to raise widespread awareness about the dangers associated with alcohol, which is often perceived as less harmful than other substances.
The chief physician recalled that alcohol contributes to 96,730 cases of cancer each year in his country, almost half of which could be avoided. Among the cancers most frequently linked to alcohol are those of the breast, mouth and throat. “ For some of these cancers, the risk begins to increase from one drink per day “, he warns.
Alarming figures in the United States
Alcohol consumption is estimated to reduce life expectancy by an average of 15 years and causes approximately 20,000 deaths annually in the United States. These figures underline the importance of increased prevention measures.
For comparison, in France, warning messages already appear on alcohol bottles, particularly for prevent risks in pregnant women. Furthermore, all advertising for alcohol must remind us that “ alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health ».
The World Health Organization (WHO) has long classified alcohol as a proven human carcinogen. A report from the American Association for Cancer Research, published in 2024, establishes that alcohol increases the risks of six different cancers, including those of the liver and esophagus.
If the ban on the sale of alcohol to those under 21 is already in force in the United States, Dr Murthy calls for going further. “ We need to consider awareness campaigns and prevention measures similar to those put in place for tobacco », he concludes.
While alcohol remains widely consumed and trivialized in many societies, this opinion resonates as a call for vigilance, inviting consumers to reconsider their habits in the face of increasingly overwhelming scientific evidence.
