Cheers to surgeon general's plan for cancer warning labels on alcohol
In 2022, a study published in The Lancet medical journal said for people over 40, a small amount of red wine can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes.
But just a few months later, some of those middle-aged men and women and senior citizens might have put their wine glasses down when the World Health Organization issued a statement in The Lancet that declared, "When it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health."
Research on the health effects of middling alcohol consumption has been confusing, and some findings are flawed and don't tell the full story.
But there is no question that risks exist, along with evidence pointing to alcohol's benefits. A national report just released a few weeks ago linked moderate drinking to a lower risk of death from any cause and a lower risk of death from heart disease — but it was also connected to an increased risk of breast cancer.
There's also a well-established correlation between alcohol and at least six other types of cancer, including cancers of the colorectum, esophagus, liver, mouth, throat and voice box (larynx).
Most Americans know smoking tobacco can lead to cancer. Fewer — less than 50% — know that all alcoholic drinks — yes, red wine, too — are linked with cancer, according to a 2023 study by the National Institutes of Health. Even more sobering: Roughly 10% of the study's participants were under the impression drinking wine actually decreases cancer risk.
When most of the public is that ignorant about the potential hazard, Congress should seriously consider U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's recommendation to place cancer warning labels on alcoholic beverages.
Alcoholic drinks already list the dangers of drinking while pregnant, while driving and other risks. Adding cancer to that messaging is the logical and responsible step to take since alcohol consumption is the "third leading preventable cause of cancer, after tobacco and obesity," as Murthy said in his latest health advisory.
That equates to 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer-related deaths in the United States each year, the country's top physician said.
Many Americans — 62% — drink alcohol. Shouldn't they be alerted about the cancer risks, in the same way they are when they grab a pack of cigarettes?
What other countries are doing
The alcoholic beverage industry will likely fight and try to kill Murthy's buzz. But his cancer warning label proposal, offered at a time when many are participating in Dry January, is in alignment with what may become a standard worldwide.
Ireland will become the first country to require cancer warning labels on alcohol next year.
South Korea mandates that alcohol manufacturers choose one of three messages on their warning labels. Two of those labels mention cancer.
There has also been a push for similar measures in Canada and Thailand.
"Health warnings are an effective policy option to increase knowledge of alcohol causing cancer," a European study concluded last year, stressing that most participants welcomed the written guidance on the bottles and cans.
"... Considering the effects of alcohol on health, low awareness of an alcohol–cancer link, and the relevance and acceptability of the cancer message, providing such information through product labelling (sic) would reach a large number of consumers at the points of purchase and consumption, and satisfy their right to know about the harms associated with the product they are consuming," researchers said.
Encouraging the practice to drink "responsibly" and not binge isn't enough. Before people do a toast, scream "bottoms up" or declare "it's wine o'clock," they should at least be educated regarding the health risks their choice of adult beverages entails.
The Sun-Times welcomes letters to the editor and op-eds. See our guidelines.
Get Opinions content delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
More about the Sun-Times Editorial Board at chicago.suntimes.com/about/editorial-board