January 04, (THEWILL) – US Surgeon General, Dr Vivek Murthy, on Friday, said that alcoholic beverages should carry health warning labels, saying there is a “direct link” between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk.
Consuming any type of alcohol, including beer, wine or spirits, increases the risk for at least seven different types of cancer, including breast cancer for women, as well as cancers of the colorectum, oesophagus, larynx, liver, mouth, and throat, Dr Murthy warned, adding that alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity.
“Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States – greater than the 13,500 alcohol-associated traffic crash fatalities per year in the U.S. – yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk”, Dr Murphy said in an advisory.
Murthy said consuming alcohol carries an increased risk of breast, colorectum, oesophagus, liver, mouth (oral cavity), throat, and voice box cancers.
“For some cancers, including breast, mouth, and throat cancers, the risk of developing cancer may increase at one or fewer drinks per day”, Murthy added.
In addition to the warning label, Murthy has recommended a re-evaluation of alcohol consumption limit guidelines to account for the cancer risk and increased education around the risks.
A person’s risk of developing cancer due to alcohol consumption is also determined by other factors, including biological, economic, environmental and social.
According to the advisory, alcohol consumption can cause cancer in four ways; first by breaking it down into acetaldehyde, a chemical compound that damages DNA and can increase the risk of cancer.
Secondly, alcohol leads to oxidative stress, which occurs when there is an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This can increase inflammation as well as damage DNA and proteins, all of which increases the risk of cancer, the Surgeon General’s report states.
Alcohol can also alter the levels of multiple hormones, such as estrogen, which increases the risk of breast cancer, according to the report. The fourth mechanism by which alcohol consumption can increase cancer risk is by leading to a greater absorption of carcinogens, which are substances that cause cancer. Carcinogens dissolve in alcohol and subsequently are more easily absorbed by the body.
