People react to Surgeon General’s alcohol and cancer warning with common sense

As 2025 begins, many Americans are seeking a healthier year, committing to increased exercise, a renewed focus on mental health, healthier diets and a “Booze Month,” a month without alcohol. Then US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released his latest recommendations linking alcohol to an increased risk of cancer.

Specifically, the advice highlights that drinkers are at increased risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx, breast (in women), liver, colon and rectum. Additionally, the report states that alcohol consumption is responsible for 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer-related deaths each year in the United States, making it the third leading preventable cause of cancer after tobacco and obesity.

I’m sure many of us have long suspected that alcohol isn’t necessarily “good” for us. But I don’t think we know—or maybe don’t want to fully admit—how bad this is for our health. In fact, 60% of Americans say they are unaware of the link between alcohol and cancer. It is hoped that this consultation will begin to educate the public on this important health-related link.

6 tips to reduce drinking and cancer risk after Surgeon General’s warning

Since the advisory was released, Americans have asked many questions about what the government might do next, what the findings mean to them, and how they should consider the findings in their daily lives.

Here’s what you need to know and remember.

How does alcohol cause cancer?

From an altitude of 30,000 feet, alcohol can damage your DNA, thereby increasing your risk of cancer. This occurs through several different mechanisms. For example, our DNA can be damaged by acetaldehyde, the toxic metabolite alcohol breaks down into in our bodies, or by oxidative stress caused by alcohol.

Alcohol also changes hormone levels in our bodies, such as estrogen, which may explain its association with an increased risk of breast cancer. Not only does alcohol directly damage our DNA, it also increases the absorption of cancer-causing chemicals, or carcinogens, into the body. So while we might think a glass of wine or beer calms or relaxes our bodies, in fact, it does the exact opposite and causes inflammation.

What happens next?

The recommendation sets the stage for action by governments, doctors and fellow Americans.

Murthy recommended that the surgeon general update warning labels on alcohol to clearly state the link between alcohol and cancer. Such a label change requires action by Congress, and I believe this should be done quickly and on a bipartisan basis. What’s one thing we can all rally behind? Reduce cancer in our family, friends and neighbors.

However, this is not a “silver bullet” strategy. While one study evaluating cigarette warning labels showed that more comprehensive, larger, and graphic labels better communicate the health risks of smoking to the public, another study showed that they have no real impact on smoking behavior.

So if we extrapolate what this means for the future impact of the Surgeon General’s updated alcohol warning labels, the impact is likely to be minimal. Furthermore, it is worth noting that this result was obtained despite the fact that cigarettes have a much higher cancer risk than alcohol when consumed in comparable amounts.

But updating warning labels is the start of raising public awareness and “receiving” the needed education among doctors, and Murthy stressed that this is an important “action item.” We must work together to increase understanding of the relationship between alcohol and cancer risk, not just in the media but also in more personal settings, such as doctors’ offices and in local communities at large. Targeted strategies are needed to realize the potential of educational programs to reduce alcohol consumption.

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy warned that there is a strong link between alcohol and cancer. FILE: Murthy speaks at the Archewell Foundation Parent Summit on October 10, 2023 in New York City. (Brian Bader/Getty Images for Healthy Minds Project)

Finally, we must always ensure that policy follows the latest science. It’s okay not to know, but in this case we need to make it clear to the public. For example, the current definition of moderate drinking (one drink or less per day for women, two drinks per day or less for men) [one drink is 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor]) is relatively arbitrary, and using it as a “scientific” guide can be misleading and confusing. As Murthy points out, we must reassess the definition of these “boundaries.”

What are the limitations of what we know?

While current research overwhelmingly shows a link between drinking and cancer, the details we don’t know matter. There is evidence that cancer risk is proportional to the amount of alcohol you drink, meaning that if you drink more alcohol, your risk of cancer increases. This makes sense – alcohol is a toxin, and the more toxins you have in your body, the worse it is for you.

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But is it just quantity that matters? Does the risk differ by alcohol “quality” (for example, natural or premium wine versus wine with more additives) or type of alcohol? Are there any “safety” restrictions? What role do genetics play? Can other preventive measures, such as a healthy, clean diet and exercise, “offset” the cancer risks of drinking alcohol?

These questions only highlight some of what we don’t know, and it’s important to note that they don’t question the core fact – that alcohol and cancer are directly linked. But it does suggest that more research needs to be done, particularly to reduce some of the bias or confounding factors in the current data used so far. This ensures that the most complete evidence is available to guide education and policy development.

From an altitude of 30,000 feet, alcohol can damage your DNA, thereby increasing your risk of cancer.

So, what does this all mean to you?

Murthy should be commended for bringing this message into the national spotlight. Information has power, and now – after reading this article – I believe you can make more informed decisions about how much and how often you drink.

From my perspective, I firmly believe that moderation is key and I will continue to emphasize this as a physician and follow this approach in my own life. While many people may stop drinking altogether after this advice is issued, I urge everyone else to make an effort to control their drinking.

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Personally, I would still have a social beer here or a glass of wine there. But in the meantime, I plan to cut down on my drinking overall. This is a personal decision, as a cancer survivor (testicular cancer) I still want to “live my life”.

Ultimately, I challenge us all to take a step every day to become healthier – eat better, drink less, exercise more, and support our mental and spiritual health and well-being.

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The views, thoughts, and ideas expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of any employer or institution with which the author is affiliated.