Surgeon General Urges Cancer Warnings on Alcohol Labels
US health chief advocates for new labeling to highlight alcohol-related cancer risks, aligning with global trends.
The US Surgeon General has called for mandatory health warnings on alcoholic beverages, citing research that links alcohol to an increased risk of seven types of cancer. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy emphasized that many Americans are unaware of the significant risks associated with alcohol consumption, which is linked to around 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 deaths annually in the US. Current warning labels, last updated in 1988, could see revision only through Congressional action. Murthy highlighted alcohol as the third most common preventable cause of cancer, following tobacco and obesity, and urged the promotion of alcohol screening and treatment. Recent trends show other nations, such as Ireland and South Korea, adopting similar measures. This shift in public health strategy coincides with a decline in shares of US alcohol companies following the announcements of potential regulatory changes.
US health chief advocates for new labeling to highlight alcohol-related cancer risks, aligning with global trends.
The US Surgeon General has called for mandatory health warnings on alcoholic beverages, citing research that links alcohol to an increased risk of seven types of cancer. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy emphasized that many Americans are unaware of the significant risks associated with alcohol consumption, which is linked to around 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 deaths annually in the US. Current warning labels, last updated in 1988, could see revision only through Congressional action. Murthy highlighted alcohol as the third most common preventable cause of cancer, following tobacco and obesity, and urged the promotion of alcohol screening and treatment. Recent trends show other nations, such as Ireland and South Korea, adopting similar measures. This shift in public health strategy coincides with a decline in shares of US alcohol companies following the announcements of potential regulatory changes.
