The U.S. surgeon general wants cancer warnings on alcohol. Here’s why

Having a glass of wine a day has often been proposed as a healthy choice for your heart. While there are warnings against the use of other substances such as cigarettes, alcohol in moderation is typically considered good – but that may be changing.

U US Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages people to avoid large amounts of alcohol, and suggests sticking to two or fewer drinks a day for men and one or fewer drinks a day for women.

However, the Newest US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy suggests that even small amounts of alcohol can be harmful and can increase the risk of developing cancer.

“Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer, responsible for about 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths each year in the United States—greater than the 13,500 alcohol-related traffic deaths each year in the United States – but the majority of Americans are not aware of this risk,” the Surgeon General states.

His advice points to studies that have found a clear link between alcohol consumption and a higher risk of developing seven types of cancer, including breast cancer.

“We now know that there is no safe level for alcohol consumption, and that alcohol is a known carcinogen,” he says. Dr. Do Bhoraprofessor of surgery and regional chair of surgery at Hackensack Meridian Health and Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.

“Its mechanism of cell damage has been well established. It causes oxidative stress and prevents DNA repair, among other mechanisms that lead to cell cycle dysregulation and cancer formation.”

The Surgeon General is asking manufacturers of alcoholic beverages such as beer and liquor to update warning labels to include the risk of cancer. Currently, drinks that contain alcohol mainly warn against consumption by pregnant people and driving under the influence.

“It’s more social and political pressures that prevent us from doing the right thing, which would actually be putting a warning label on a substance that is clearly toxic,” Bhora tells CNBC Make It.

“Shares of alcohol makers, including Molson-Coors and Anheuser-Busch, initially fell more than 1% after the advisory,” CNBC reported.

Even earlier claims that there are positive effects of having a glass of red wine a day are in question. Previous studies that have shown a small amount of alcohol every day can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease are called for their methodology, according to The New York Times.

“Man would be difficult to find benefits from alcohol consumption,” says Bhora. “Perhaps the reduction of stress with the disability of some emotional faculties [but] I’m not even sure if that’s necessarily a good thing.”

“We always hear these stories of 80 and 90-year-olds who live a healthy life and sort of attribute it to a glass of wine or scotch. I’m not sure that there is a real scientific correlation to this,” he. he adds.

Alcohol consumption is deeply rooted in our culture, says Bhora, and “people use it as a crutch for social interaction. [and] for emotional reasons.” However, people are now “very comfortable refusing alcohol in a restaurant or a party for health reasons, and I think it’s a path that should be encouraged and supported as a first step.”

For starters, Bhora suggests “getting away from the concept that one drink a day is good or safe,” he says. Try to only drink alcohol on the weekends if you’re cutting back on your intake and slowly remove it from your diet completely if you feel inclined, says Bhora.

“When many of my friends and colleagues stopped drinking alcohol or reduced their consumption significantly, [they] they found it liberating,” says Bhora.

“They no longer need it for social interaction, they have much more clarity of thought, and in many cases, they actually end up being much more productive.”

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