The U.S. Surgeon General has issued an advisory linking alcohol consumption to an increased risk of cancer.
In a news release, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy attached a new advisory on alcohol and the cancer risks that come with its consumption, offering a series of recommendations to help increase the public’s awareness — including updating the existing Surgeon General warning on drinks that contain alcohol.
According to Murthy, alcohol consumption has been linked to causing at least seven different types of cancer, including breast, esophagus, liver, mouth, throat, and voice box cancers. Regardless of whether the beverage is beer, wine, or spirits, it can still cause cancer according to the news release, with 16.4% of breast cancer cases in women being linked to alcohol consumption.
“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,” Murthy said in the news release, “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.”
According to the Surgeon General’s 2025 Alcohol and Cancer Risk Advisory, alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of cancer after tobacco use and obesity. In 2019, 96,730 of cancer diagnosis were related to alcohol consumption, with women being at a slightly higher risk, with 54,330, while men had a total of 42,400 cases. The majority of cancer found in women – around 44,180 of all cases – were breast cancer.
The advisory further notes 741,300 of all cancer cases worldwide, were related to alcohol consumption in 2020, and while the level of consumption could affect a person’s risk factor, the document points out more than two drinks per day still poses a significant risk.
In an American Institute for Cancer Research survey conducted in 2019, participants were asked if they thought alcohol had a significant effect on whether or not a person develops cancer – only 45% of respondents said they were aware of the risks.
