There is a common response to the general practitioner’s warning of alcohol and cancer

As 2025 begins, many Americans begin looking for a healthy year ahead with more exercise, a renewed focus on mental well-being, healthy eating, and “Dry January” (ie, a month without drinking alcohol). Then US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released his latest advice linking alcohol to an increased risk of cancer.

Specifically, the advice highlighted an increased risk of mouth, throat, throat, voice box, breast (for women), liver, and colon and rectal cancer among those who consume any amount of alcohol. In addition, the report states that alcohol consumption leads to 100,000 cancer cases and cancer-related deaths in the US each year, making it the third most preventable cause of cancer after tobacco and obesity.

I believe that many of us have long suspected that alcohol was “not good” for us. But what I think we didn’t know – or maybe we didn’t want to fully admit – was how bad it could be for our health. In fact, 60% of Americans report that they are unaware of the relationship between alcohol and cancer. Hopefully, this advice begins the process of educating the public about this important health-related link.

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Since the publication of the opinion, Americans have raised many questions about what the government can do next, what the findings mean for them, and how they should consider the findings in their daily lives.

Here’s what you should know and remember.

How does alcohol cause cancer?

From a 30,000-foot perspective, alcohol damages your DNA, increasing your cancer risk. This happens in many different ways. For example, our DNA can be damaged by acetaldehyde, a toxic metabolite alcohol is released from our body, or due to the oxidative stress alcohol causes.

Alcohol also changes the levels of hormones in our body, such as estrogen, which may explain the relationship between alcohol and an increased risk of breast cancer. Alcohol not only damages our DNA, but also increases the absorption of cancer-causing chemicals, or carcinogens, in the body. Therefore, although we may think of a glass of wine or beer as calming or relaxing our body, in fact – it does the exact opposite, causing inflammation.

What’s next?

The advisory forms the basis for action – by government, doctors and other Americans.

Murthy suggests that the surgeon general’s warning label on alcohol be revised to clearly recognize the link between alcohol and cancer. Such a change in labels would require action by Congress, and I believe this should be done quickly on a bipartisan basis. What is one thing we can all support? To reduce cancer among our families, friends and neighbors.

However, this is not a “silver bullet” strategy. While one study examining cigarette warning labels showed that broad, large, and graphic labels better communicated the health risks of smoking to the public, others suggested that they had no real effect on smoking behavior.

Therefore, if we project what this may mean for the future impact of the surgeon general’s warning label on alcohol, the impact may be modest. In addition, it is important to note that this is the result despite the fact that the risk of cancer is much higher in cigarettes than in alcohol when consumed in comparable amounts.

But revising the warning label is just the beginning of the education needed to raise awareness and doctor “buy-in,” Murthy also highlights “action items.” We must work together to increase awareness of the relationship between alcohol and cancer, not only in the media but also in personal settings, such as doctors’ offices and throughout our local communities. A targeted strategy is needed to strengthen the educational program to reduce alcohol consumption.

Surgeon Dr. Vivek H. Murthy has warned of the strong link between alcohol and cancer. FILE: Murthy speaks on stage at the Archewell Foundation Parent Conference on October 10, 2023, in New York City. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Project Healthy Minds)

Finally, we must always ensure that policy follows the latest, most up-to-date science. It’s okay not to know, but we need to make it clear to the public if that’s the case. For example, the current definition of moderate drinking (one drink or less per day for women and two drinks or less per day 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 noted, we must revise this definition of “discontinuation.”

What are some of the limits of what we know?

Although current research strongly suggests a link between alcohol and cancer, the details of what we don’t know are also important. Evidence suggests that the risk of cancer is directly proportional to the amount of alcohol consumed, meaning that the more alcohol you drink, the more likely you are to develop cancer. This makes sense – alcohol is a poison and the more poison you put in your body, the worse it must be for you.

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But is value the only thing that matters? Does the risk vary by the “quality” of the alcohol (for example, natural or high-quality wine versus high-alcohol wine) or type of alcohol? Is there a “safe” limit? What role do genes play? Do other preventive measures, such as a healthy, clean diet and exercise, “reduce” your cancer risk from drinking alcohol, and – if so – by how much?

These questions only highlight some of what we don’t know, and it’s important to note that they don’t ignore an important fact – alcohol and cancer are directly linked. But what it does show is that there is more research to be done, especially to reduce the bias, or confusion, in the current data used to date. This ensures that sufficient evidence is available to guide education and policy making.

From a 30,000-foot perspective, alcohol damages your DNA, increasing your cancer risk.

So, what does all this mean for you?

We should commend Murthy for bringing this information to the nation. Knowledge is empowering, and now – after reading this piece – I’m sure you can make a more informed decision about how much and how often you should drink alcohol.

In my opinion, I strongly believe that moderation is the key, and I will continue to emphasize this as a doctor and follow this approach in my life. Although many may stop drinking alcohol altogether after the publication of this advice, I urge everyone else to strive to moderate their consumption.

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Personally, I’ll still enjoy a social beer here or a glass of wine there. However, at the same time, I plan to reduce my alcohol consumption completely. It is an individual decision, and as a cancer survivor (testicular cancer) I still want to “live my life”.

Ultimately, I challenge all of us to take action every day to be more healthy – eat better, drink less, work more and support our mental and spiritual health and well-being.

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The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and not those of any employers or institutions to which they are affiliated.