Health warning labels on cigarettes have helped educate consumers on the risks of smoking. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act of 1965 into law. Encouraged by the 1964 Surgeon General’s Report, which linked tobacco use to lung cancer and other serious illnesses, this mandated that cigarette manufacturers include the message, “CAUTION: Cigarette Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Health,” on any cigarette packages produced starting on January 1, 1966. In 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act expanded the cigarette labeling requirements to include graphic health warnings. Intending to educate the public about the hazards of smoking, cigarette warning labels have proven effective, particularly if they are large, graphic, and comprehensive.
This past January, the US Surgeon General’s Advisory recommended that alcoholic beverages start including warning labels indicating the cancer risk associated with alcohol consumption. Recently, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an Insight article summarizing the evidence supporting this recommendation.
The risk of cancers affecting the mouth, throat, voice box, breast, colorectum, and liver increases with alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption contributes to an estimated 4% of global cancer cases, and the majority (>76%) of these cases occur in men. Within the United States, alcohol stands as the third most modifiable cancer risk factor. Only smoking and obesity contribute to more cancer cases than alcohol.
The risk of developing an alcohol-related cancer increases relative to the amount of alcohol consumption. However, a notable limitation to understanding an accurate dose dependency of alcohol on cancer risk arises from a lack of standardization in defining quantities of alcohol consumption.
Dietary recommendations for alcohol consumption in the United States include a maximum of one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. Other factors that can increase cancer risk in individuals who drink include smoking, a family history of alcohol-related cancer, or liver disease.
Policies that promote education about the risks of alcohol consumption on the development of certain cancers. In addition, screening patients for alcohol use disorder (AUD) could help identify those who could benefit from treatment protocols that could decrease cancer risks.
Sources: Tob Control, JAMA, Br J Cancer, Lancet Oncol, CA Cancer J Clin, Br J Cancer