Emphasizing the link between alcohol consumption and the occurrence of cancer, the Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Murthy, issued an opinion in which he pleads for warning messages on alcohol bottles.
“Alcohol is a well-established and preventable cause of cancer responsible for approximately 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths each year in the United States – more than the 13,500 alcohol-related traffic deaths per year in the United States – and yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk”, lamented Dr. Vivek Murthy in a press release (Source 1). “This advice sets out steps we can all take to raise awareness of alcohol-related cancer risk and minimize harm”, added the chief doctor.
The chief medical officer therefore recommends updating the warning messages on the labels of alcoholic beverages, in order to to include this increased risk of cancer.
A well-established but little-known link
“The direct link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk is well established for at least seven types of cancer, including cancers of the breast, colon and rectum, esophagus, liver, mouth (oral cavity), throat (pharynx) and larynx, regardless of the type of alcohol consumed (beer, wine and spirits, for example). For breast cancer in particular, 16.4% of total breast cancer cases are attributable…
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