There’s a Common Sense Answer to the Surgeon General’s Warning About Alcohol and Cancer

As the year 2025 began, many Americans began their quest for a healthier year Go ahead by committing to more exercise, a renewed focus on mental well-being, a healthier diet, and a “dry January” (i.e. a month without alcohol consumption). Then, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released his latest advisory linking alcohol to increased cancer risk.

Specifically, the advisory highlighted increased risk in the mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx, breast (in women), liver, and colon and rectum. cancers among those who consume any amount of alcohol. Additionally, the report states that alcohol consumption causes 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer-related deaths in the US each year, making it the third-largest preventable cause of cancer after tobacco and obesity.

I think many of us have been around for a long time. suspected alcohol was not necessarily “good” for us. But what I think we didn’t know – or perhaps didn’t want to fully recognize – was how bad it could be for our health. In fact, 60% of Americans say they are unaware of the relationship between alcohol and cancer. Hopefully, this advisory begins the process of educating the public about this important health link.

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

Most Americans were not familiar with any connection between alcohol and cancer. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

Here’s what you should know and keep in mind.

How does alcohol cause cancer?

From a 30,000-foot view, alcohol damages DNA, increasing the risk of cancer. This occurs through several different mechanisms. For example, our DNA can be damaged by acetaldehyde, the toxic metabolite that alcohol breaks down in our body, or by the oxidative stress that alcohol causes.

Alcohol also alters our body’s hormone levels, such as estrogen, which likely explains alcohol’s association with an increased risk of breast cancer. Alcohol not only directly damages our DNA, but also increases the absorption of cancer-causing or carcinogenic chemicals in the body. So while we may think that a glass of wine or beer is calming or relaxing for our body, it actually does the exact opposite: it causes inflammation.

What comes next?

The advisory lays the groundwork for action—by the government, doctors, and our fellow Americans.

Murthy suggests updating the surgeon general’s warning label on alcohol to clearly state the link between alcohol and cancer. Such a label change would require an act of Congress, and I believe this should be done quickly and in a bipartisan manner. What can we all support? Reduce cancer among our family, friends and neighbors.

However, this is not a miracle strategy. While one study evaluating cigarette warning labels showed that fuller, larger, and more graphic labels better communicate the health risks of smoking to the public, another suggested they had no real effect on smoking behavior.

So if we extrapolate what this may mean for the future impact of an updated surgeon general warning label on alcohol, the effect may be nominal. Furthermore, it is important to note that this was the result even though the risk of cancer is substantially higher with cigarettes than with alcohol when consumed in comparable amounts.

But updating the warning label is a start to the education needed to increase general awareness and physician “buy-in,” which Murthy also highlights as important “action items.” We must work collaboratively to increase awareness about the relationship between alcohol and cancer risk, not only in the media but in more personal settings, such as doctors’ offices and in our local communities. A specific strategy is needed to harness the potential of an educational program to reduce alcohol consumption.

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

Finally, we must always ensure that policies follow the latest scientific advances. It’s okay not to know, but we need to make it clear to the public when that is the case. For example, the current definition of moderate alcohol consumption (one drink or less per day for women and two drinks or less per day for men (one drink is equal to 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 pointed out, we need to reevaluate these definitions of “boundaries.”

What are some of the limits of what we know?

While current research overwhelmingly shows a link between alcohol consumption and cancer, the details of what we don’t know also matter. Evidence suggests that cancer risk is directly proportional to the amount of alcohol consumed, meaning that if you drink more alcohol, your cancer risk increases. This makes sense: alcohol is a toxin and the more toxins you put into your body, the worse it should be for you.

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But is it just the quantity that matters? Does the risk differ depending on the “quality” of the alcohol (for example, a natural wine or a high-quality wine versus one with more additives) or the type of alcohol? Is there a “safe” limit? What role does genetics play? Do other preventive measures, such as healthy, clean eating and exercise, “offset” your cancer risk from alcohol consumption, and if so, to what extent?

These questions highlight only some of what we don’t know, and it is important to note that they do not discredit the central fact: alcohol and cancer are directly related. But what it does show is that there is still more research to be done, especially to reduce some of the biases or confounding factors in the current data used to date. This ensures that the most comprehensive evidence is available to guide education and policymaking.

From a 30,000-foot view, alcohol damages DNA, increasing the risk of cancer.

So what does all this mean to you?

We should congratulate Murthy for bringing this information to the national spotlight. Information is empowering and now, after reading this article, I am sure that you will be able to make a more informed decision about how much and how often to drink alcohol.

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 may stop drinking alcohol completely after the publication of this advisory, I urge everyone else to work on moderating their consumption.

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Personally, I will continue to enjoy a social beer here or a glass of wine there. At the same time, however, I plan to decrease my overall alcohol consumption. It is an individual decision and as a cancer survivor (testicular cancer) myself, I still want to “live my life.”

Ultimately, I challenge us all to take one step each day to be a little healthier: eat better, drink less, exercise more, and support our mental and spiritual health and well-being.

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The opinions, thoughts and ideas expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not necessarily those of any employer or institution with which he or she is affiliated.