According to a new advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General, alcohol is now the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the country.
The U.S. Surgeon General is asking Congress to update the warning labels on alcoholic drinks.
Every alcoholic beverage sold in the United States since 1988 carries this health warning label:
“GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems.”
The U.S. Surgeon General is now recommending Congress to update the label statement and include a cancer risk warning.
However, the reaction from the local community is mixed.
“I mean yeah. If it’s the third leading cause. I think information is a good thing to have so that way people can make their own choices,” said Rebeka Trubowitch, a Morgan Hill resident.
“I just think there are too many warning labels about everything,” said James Viner, a Morro Bay resident.
Alcohol consumption is responsible for 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths in the nation every year.
The Surgeon General says a majority of Americans are not aware of the link between alcohol and cancer.
Trubowitch said, “I would have liked to have known that information."
The amount of alcohol a person drinks affects their risk of developing cancer.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General, a study found women who consume one drink daily have a 19% risk. Men who have one drink daily have an 11% risk.
“Right now, I don’t consume that much at all because I have an infant," said Trubowitch. "But before, once a week, once every two weeks."
Consuming alcohol increases the risk for at least seven cancer types including breast, colon, and liver.
James Viner says he’s not an avid drinker, but if he were, a new label would not steer him away.
“But if I was drinking then that’s what I’d prefer to drink—doesn’t matter what it says,” Viner said.
Groups that represent alcohol manufacturers say before lawmakers approve additional warning labels, they should look at all the research.
While some of it suggests alcohol can harm the body, other studies show that -in moderation– alcohol comes with health benefits.
