In an expert issued on Friday, the US Surgeon General urged Americans to use updated health warning labels on alcoholic beverage to raise public awareness of the risks of cancer that are linked to alcohol use.
US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy noted that there has been more evidence to support the connection between drinking and cancer since the 1980s, with the risk becoming ever more evident. The latest required warning signs do not adequately explain the risks to health, despite their shortcomings.
” Alcohol is a well-established, treatable cause of cancer responsible for about 100, 000 cases of cancer and 20, 000 cancer deaths annually in the United States – greater than the 13, 500 alcohol-associated traffic collision fatalities per year in the US”, Vivek Murthy said, CNN reported.
” But the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk”, he added.
increased threat of at least seven different types of cancer
According to the US Surgeon General’s office, drinking ranks as the third-leading treatable cause of cancer in the United States, following marijuana and fat.
The report shows a well-established connection between alcohol consumption and an increased chance of at least seven types of cancer: breast, colorectal, esophageal, kidney, dental, mouth, and anterior. Importantly, beer is responsible for 16.4 per share of all breast cancer cases.
As per the report, a 2019 study revealed that merely 45 per cent of Americans recognised alcohol as a cancer risk factor, whilst awareness was significantly higher for radiation exposure (91 per cent ), tobacco use ( 89 per cent ), asbestos exposure (81 per cent ), and obesity ( 53 per cent ).
Recent medical research has refuted the notion that red wine and other alcoholic beverages have any health benefits, instead focusing on the risks posed by alcohol consumption overall.
” Mild having also has a relationship with risk of cancer.”
A December statement from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that while reasonable eating, defined as drinking up to two drinks per day for men and one for women, may be related to a lower cardiovascular disease risk, it is also linked to a higher chance of some cancers.
The latest warning label, established in 1988, just mentions pregnancy-related birth defects, that “women does not consume alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects” and that” consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or work machinery, and does cause health problems”, Associated Press reported.
The Surgeon General’s office emphasized that even a few drinks per day, or even one or two, may raise the risk of breast, mouth, and throat cancers. Additionally, it was noted that individual cancer risk varies depending on environmental and biological factors.
The advisory challenges the guidelines for current US dietary recommendations, which place daily alcohol consumption at two for men and one for women. A worrying statistic reveals that people who adhere to these recommended limits have a higher rate of alcohol-related cancer deaths than those who follow these recommendations, which suggests that these guidelines need to be revised.
How alcohol causes cancer
Alcohol plays a role in cancer through the following pathways, according to research:
- Acetaldehyde formation:
- Alcohol metabolises into acetaldehyde, a compound that damages DNA by binding to it.
- Damaged DNA can cause cancerous tumors and uncontrolled cell growth.
- Oxidative stress:
- Alcohol generates reactive oxygen species, causing oxidative stress.
- This process damages DNA, proteins, and lipids, increasing inflammation and cancer risk.
- Hormonal disruption:
- Alcohol alters hormone levels, particularly estrogen, which is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer.
- Absorption of carcinogens:
- Alcohol acts as a solvent for carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke particles, making them easier for the body to absorb.
- This raises the risk of developing cancer in the throat and mouth.
