Reiterating the cancer risks of alcohol consumption Premium

Surgeon General calls for cancer risk warnings on alcohol, highlighting the dangers of alcohol consumption on health.

In early January, United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who released the new Surgeon General’s Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk, called for cancer risk warnings on alcohol-containing beverages.

The health risks associated with alcohol consumption are well-known; with the advisory stating that alcohol consumption is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., after tobacco and obesity.

The World Health Organization (WHO), in its Global status report on alcohol and health and treatment of substance use disorders, noted that “the global burden of disease and injuries caused by alcohol consumption can be quantified for 31 health conditions on the basis of available scientific evidence for the role of alcohol use in their development, occurrence and outcomes.” “When it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health,” the WHO said in a statement published in The Lancet Public Health.

However, how far this message has penetrated and how much of it was understood, especially in a setting like India, remains debatable. The fact remains that consuming alcohol increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer -- mouth, pharynx, voice box, esophagus, breast (in women), liver, colon and rectum.

According to the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-2021), 18.8% of men and 1.3% of women aged 15 and above consume alcohol in India.

Surendran Veeraiah, professor and head, Psycho-oncology and Resource Centre for Tobacco Control, Cancer Institute (WIA), said that there was confusion among the people due to misinformation about alcohol and cancer. “Some doctors say that drinking alcohol in moderation or drinking red wine is good. Such myths and misconceptions only mislead people. It is clearly established that alcohol is carcinogenic. So, it is important for healthcare professionals to take this up seriously and communicate to people that alcohol is carcinogenic. They should discourage alcohol consumption,” he said.

Reducing the availability of alcohol is not a deterrent, he said, adding: “Policy makers should understand that alcohol is not a substitute for revenue generation. Revenue making was how it started off for tobacco -- stating that tobacco companies pay tax,” he said.