Cancer warnings similar to those seen on cigarette boxes may soon come to alcohol cans and bottles.
On Friday, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new advisory outlining the direct link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk. In it, he called on Congress with a series of recommendations, including updating the existing surgeon general’s health warning label on alcohol-containing beverages.
“While scientific evidence for this connection has been growing over the past four decades, less than half of Americans recognize it as a risk factor for cancer,” Murthy’s office said in a statement. “This advisory lays out steps we can all take to increase awareness of alcohol’s cancer risk and minimize harm.”
Drinking and cancer: America’s surgeon general calls for cancer warnings on alcoholic beverages
The report cited seven different types of cancer that are most commonly linked to alcohol consumption, as well as data that measures intake amount and frequency against lifetime cancer risk. The findings may not be the news even casual drinkers want to hear, but it does paint a clearer picture of where the biggest risks lie.
Should you go cold turkey, or are one or two drinks a week okay? How about one or two per day? How much can you safely drink without significantly increasing your risk of cancer? Here’s what we know.
How many drinks are safe?
As few as a couple drinks a week can increase your risk of developing certain cancers, the Office of the Surgeon General shared.
As it goes with carcinogens, no amount is technically “safe” to consume, though the common sense theory of “less is better” still applies.
Results of global, multi-decade studies referenced in the surgeon general’s advisory found that just one drink of any kind a day can increase the risk of certain cancers from 10 to 40%.
The advisory also cited a study showing the correlation between alcohol-related cancer risk and increased alcohol intake:
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Less than one drink per week: 16.5% absolute risk of cancer among women, 10% among men
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One drink per day: 19.0% absolute risk of cancer among women, 11.4% among men
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Two drinks per day: 21.8% absolute risk of cancer among women, 13.1% among men
This graphic released by the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General displays the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk.
“Unfortunately, there isn’t really a safe amount of alcohol consumption, we would really say drink as little as possible and if you can abstain entirely, that would be best,” Dr. Suneel Kamath, a medical oncologist at Cleveland Clinic told USA TODAY.
Previous cutoffs advised by health officials, such as seven drinks per week for women and 14 for men, have been debunked, he said, along with previously speculated benefits such as those believed to come from red wine.
Even so, three drinks per week is probably still safer than seven, for example.
Drinking in moderation: Here’s how much alcohol is too much
“We do know that it’s a dose-response relationship so every drink you have per day or per week will be an increased risk of many different types of cancers. The more you have, the higher that risk is,” he said. “If you think about the risk in general, if you have only one drink a week that’s probably a very small increase [in cancer cases]. Out of 1,000 people you might see an extra case of cancer, but it’s tough to know what person that would be.”
Studies have shown that the pattern of consumption also matters, according to Kamath. Someone sticking to four drinks per week is better off having one per night spread across four days, as opposed to drinking all four in one go, he said.
“One to two per week territory likely will not have a significant impact on cancer risk or other negative effects of alcohol,” he said. “But be aware that alcohol is a carcinogen and try to limit intake as much as possible.”
Which cancers have been linked to alcohol?
Common cancers linked to alcohol.
Large and numerous warnings about the highly carcinogenic nature of tobacco products have been a fixture of gas stations and convenience stores across the U.S. since the 1960s. While tobacco may be the substance with the stronger likelihood of directly causing the disease, alcohol opens the body up to a wider variety of cancers.
“The amount [that alcohol] increases the risk of individual cancer is not as high as tobacco, but the breadth of the cancers it can increase the risk of is broader,” said Kamath, adding that it’s “probably 15 to 20 kinds of cancer you’re at increased risk of.”
“Keep in mind that alcohol is not just a liver issue, that it also definitely causes a significant risk for other cancers, mainly of the GI tract, breast cancer and several others.”
Kamath also mentioned cancers of the head, neck, liver, breast, colon, tongue and throat as being more common among drinkers.
The new alcohol warning advised by Murthy calls on Congress to update product labels to notify consumers of an increased risk of cancer in the breast, colon, throat, liver, voice box, esophagus and mouth.
How does alcohol cause cancer?
Ways alcohol causes cancer.
According to the advisory, alcohol consumption can cause cancer through four primary mechanisms.
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First, alcohol breaks down into acetaldehyde in the body. Acetaldehyde is ametabolite (or the end result of metabolism) that causes cancer by binding to DNA and damaging it. When DNA is damaged, a cell can begin to grow uncontrollably and create a cancerous tumor.
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Second, alcohol generates reactive oxygen species, which increaseinflammation and can damage DNA, proteins, and lipids in the body through aprocess called oxidation. This also increases inflammation.
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Third, alcohol alters hormone levels (including estrogen), which can play a rolein the development of breast cancer.
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Fourth, carcinogens from other sources, especially particles of tobacco smoke,can dissolve in alcohol, making it easier for them to be absorbed into the body,increasing the risk for mouth and throat cancers.
How to decrease your cancer risk related to alcohol
Of course, the simplest answer for mitigating your cancer risk linked to alcohol is to abstain entirely. However, experts like Kamath understand the all-out approach may not be appealing for many.
If you are unable to avoid it entirely, limiting alcohol intake of all kinds is ideal. When you do drink, avoid binge drinking or consuming a large amount in a short time and do not smoke tobacco or expose yourself to other carcinogens at the same time.
On the regulatory side of things, Congress had been asked to add new labeling to alcohol products, reassess consumption recommendations and increase screening programs.
On the individual side, Kamath suggests that instead of reaching for a stiff drink, grab one of the many alcohol-free or alcohol-removed beverage alternatives that have become popular in recent years.
“Try those out,” he said. “Because any way you can replace the alcohol in your lifestyle matters.”
Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How much alcohol is too much? Surgeon general addresses cancer risk
