The most senior doctor in the US is calling for alcoholic drinks to carry cancer warnings.
Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy has today published an advisory on alcohol and cancer risk, citing studies linking alcohol to at least seven different cancers.
His advisory outlines the direct link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk, including breast cancer.
Drinking alcohol is the third most common preventable cause of cancer in the US, behind tobacco and obesity.
Alcohol contributes to about 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths in the US every year, USA Today reports.
Dr Murthy added: ‘While scientific evidence for this connection has been growing over the past four decades, less than half of Americans recognise it as a risk factor for cancer.
‘This advisory lays out steps we can all take to increase awareness of alcohol’s cancer risk and minimize harm.’
He is now calling on Congress to pass laws updating the labels on alcoholic drinks, including the heightened risk of seven cancers now linked to drinking.
These seven cancers are:
He’s calling for the new labels to fall in line with similar warnings printed on cigarette packets.
Dr Murthy’s advisory also calls for a reassessment of the guideline limits for alcohol consumption to account for risk of cancer.
It advises people to be aware of the ties between drinking alcohol and the increased cancer risk when considering if they should drink, or how much to drink.
His proposals will need support from the incoming Republican administration.
This includes President-elect Donald Trump, who says he doesn’t drink, and Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Robert F Kennedy Jr, who says he’s a recovering addict and has been sober for more than 40 years.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
