On January 3rd, the Surgeon General released an advisory to increase awareness of alcohol's cancer risk. The direct link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk is established for at least seven types of cancer, including breast, liver, colon, and esophageal cancers. The advisory document recommends a cancer risk warning label on alcoholic beverages. Such a warning would need to be approved by Congress.

Many scientific studies have shown that drinking alcohol increases the likelihood of getting some types of cancer, and the National Toxicology Program lists alcohol as a carcinogen. The more alcohol a person drinks regularly, the higher the risk of developing an alcohol-related cancer. For example, drinking one glass of wine every night increases the risk more than drinking one glass of wine every week.

Drinking alcohol increases a person’s risk of breast cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, colon and rectum cancers, voice box (larynx) cancer, and mouth / throat cancer. In the U.S., there are about 20,000 alcohol-related cancer deaths each year according to the CDC.

The advisory comes ahead of the review of national dietary guidelines which happens every five years, including those for alcohol consumption. Currently, the guidelines recommend that people who do not drink alcohol don’t start for any reason, and for those who do recommend no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.

These guidelines could change and are currently based on how alcohol affects large samples of people based on their body weight, muscle mass, and hormone levels. Everyone's health risks from drinking alcohol will vary depending on individual hormone levels, metabolism, and other risk factors.

Currently, there is an advisory on alcoholic beverages to warn pregnant people not to drink alcohol, and that alcohol can impair someone's ability to drive a car. An additional warning about cancer risk linked to alcohol would require the approval of Congress.

We are still learning about the complex factors between alcohol consumption and the increased risk of cancer. Studies show that these risk factors include increasing estrogen levels raising risk for breast cancer, damaging DNA, and impairing the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.