Alcohol linked to 20,000 US cancer deaths a year

Washington, Jan 4 (Prensa Latina) Alcohol is now responsible for approximately 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 deaths a year from that cause in the United States, according to data circulating in local media.

January 4, 2025
09:09

In a new advisory, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy stated that alcohol consumption could undoubtedly increase the risk of developing some type of malignant tumor and called for updating the health warning label on alcoholic beverages.

He said in his message the day before that alcohol is a well-established and preventable cause of cancer, whose incidence in deaths is annually greater than the 13,500 deaths from alcohol-related traffic accidents per year in the country; “however, most Americans are unaware of this risk,” he stressed.

After tobacco and obesity, alcohol is the third preventable cause of cancer here, he emphasized.

For cancers like breast, mouth, and throat, the danger can begin with one drink a day. An updated warning label would need Congress’s approval.

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