Alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity. 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.
Labels on bottles and cans of alcoholic beverages already warn about drinking while pregnant. They also warn about drinking before driving or operating other machinery.
Executives in the beer, wine and spirits industry said Friday that the scientific data linking alcohol to cancer is mixed. A recent report found that alcohol was associated with a higher risk of breast cancer, but did not find such associations with other types of cancer.
Any decision to update or expand the label would require Congressional approval, an uncertain prospect. Murthy's advisory aimed to focus the public's attention on the health risk.
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