Adding Cancer Warnings on Alcohol
- Several health organizations joined together to petition Congress to add warning labels on all alcohlic beverages.
- Due to stay-at-home orders and pandemic stress, many people are drinking more during this time.
- There is a direct correlation between cancer risk and alcohol consumption.
With so many sheltering in place at home worldwide during the pandemic, people are drinking at home more than they otherwise might; health organizations want Congress to act: By putting cancer warning on alcohol labels. Medscape reported the news, writing: “The proposal is outlined in a Citizen Petition issued to the Treasury department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Trade Bureau.”
Related: Alcohol Intake Has a Big Impact on Colon Cancer Surgery
“The petition was filed by three cancer organizations: the American Society of Clinical Oncology; the American Institute for Cancer Research; and Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, in collaboration with the American Public Health Association, the Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Alcohol Justice, and the US Alcohol Policy Alliance.”
Related: Many Women Say They’re Drinking More During Pandemic, 70% Don’t Know Alcohol Increases Cancer Risk, According to SurvivorNet Survey
If passed, the warning would read: “WARNING: According to the Surgeon General, consumption of alcoholic beverages can cause cancer, including breast and colon cancers.”
Alcohol and Cancer Risk
Dr. Heather Yeo, a colorectal surgeon and Surgical Oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, tells us in an earlier interview, “When it comes to alcohol’s influence on cancer risk, the data is mixed. High levels of alcohol can predispose people to certain types of cancer–including pancreatic, liver, and colon,” she says.
Related: 6 Tips to Help You Avoid Alcohol When Faced With Stress of a Cancer Diagnosis
Moderation is key, says Dr. Yeo. “For women, anything over a half a glass or a glass a day is probably not helping your overall health. For men, they can probably go one to two glasses before they start seeing health effects.”
It’s not just being at home that contributes to the rise in drinking right now – many of us are under general stress and anxiety, due to the pandemic and its wide-reaching effects. Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a Medical Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, tells patients, and she says in an earlier interview, “I say, ‘Let’s think about how we can manage your stress better.’ What’s really stressing you out? And are there other ways to cope with that anxiety? Can we get you to take a walk and breathing fresh air? Can we delegate the many responsibilities that may be weighing you down?’”
Does Alcohol Impact the Risks for Colon and Other Cancers?
Breast Cancer & Alcohol
Breast cancer, in particular, has a direct correlation between alcohol consumption and increased risk of developing this disease. Dr. Comen tells patients to trust their gut, and act in alignment with their comfort levels, when it comes to drinking alcohol.
Related: Breast Cancer: Overview
“I think we’re learning every day about what the contribution of alcohol may be to cancer. And while we know that a lot isn’t good, I don’t necessarily tell patients, you can’t ever drink. But I do have some patients who say, I am so terrified that every time I take a drink of alcohol that I’m going to get breast cancer. Well, don’t drink alcohol. If you’re binge drinking, you are increasing your risk of breast cancer.”
Related: There’s a Proven Link Between Alcohol and Breast Cancer Risk — So Why Don’t We Hear About It?
“Each drink increases a woman’s risk for breast cancer. So binge drinking, it’s not good for anybody,” says Dr. Comen. “And it’s also not good for a woman’s increased risk of breast cancer. And so patients ask me this all the time – well, how much can I drink? If you want to have absolutely no risk from alcohol, then don’t drink at all. But probably having less than four glasses a week of alcohol is probably OK.”
Alcohol Can Increase the Risk of Developing Breast Cancer
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Adding Cancer Warnings on Alcohol
- Several health organizations joined together to petition Congress to add warning labels on all alcohlic beverages.
- Due to stay-at-home orders and pandemic stress, many people are drinking more during this time.
- There is a direct correlation between cancer risk and alcohol consumption.
With so many sheltering in place at home worldwide during the pandemic, people are drinking at home more than they otherwise might; health organizations want Congress to act: By putting cancer warning on alcohol labels.
Medscape reported the news, writing: “
The proposal is outlined in a Citizen Petition issued to the Treasury department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Trade Bureau.”
Related: Alcohol Intake Has a Big Impact on Colon Cancer Surgery
Read More
“The petition was
filed by three cancer organizations: the American Society of Clinical Oncology; the American Institute for Cancer Research; and Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, in collaboration with the American Public Health Association, the Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Alcohol Justice, and the US Alcohol Policy Alliance.”
Related: Many Women Say They’re Drinking More During Pandemic, 70% Don’t Know Alcohol Increases Cancer Risk, According to SurvivorNet Survey
If passed, the warning would read: “WARNING: According to the Surgeon General, consumption of alcoholic beverages can cause cancer, including breast and colon cancers.”
Alcohol and Cancer Risk
Dr. Heather Yeo, a colorectal surgeon and Surgical Oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, tells us in an earlier interview, “When it comes to alcohol’s influence on cancer risk, the data is mixed. High levels of alcohol can predispose people to certain types of cancer–including pancreatic, liver, and colon,” she says.
Related: 6 Tips to Help You Avoid Alcohol When Faced With Stress of a Cancer Diagnosis
Moderation is key, says Dr. Yeo. “For women, anything over a half a glass or a glass a day is probably not helping your overall health. For men, they can probably go one to two glasses before they start seeing health effects.”
It’s not just being at home that contributes to the rise in drinking right now – many of us are under general stress and anxiety, due to the pandemic and its wide-reaching effects. Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a Medical Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, tells patients, and she says in an earlier interview, “I say, ‘Let’s think about how we can manage your stress better.’ What’s really stressing you out? And are there other ways to cope with that anxiety? Can we get you to take a walk and breathing fresh air? Can we delegate the many responsibilities that may be weighing you down?’”
Does Alcohol Impact the Risks for Colon and Other Cancers?
Breast Cancer & Alcohol
Breast cancer, in particular, has a direct correlation between alcohol consumption and increased risk of developing this disease. Dr. Comen tells patients to trust their gut, and act in alignment with their comfort levels, when it comes to drinking alcohol.
Related: Breast Cancer: Overview
“I think we’re learning every day about what the contribution of alcohol may be to cancer. And while we know that a lot isn’t good, I don’t necessarily tell patients, you can’t ever drink. But I do have some patients who say, I am so terrified that every time I take a drink of alcohol that I’m going to get breast cancer. Well, don’t drink alcohol. If you’re binge drinking, you are increasing your risk of breast cancer.”
Related: There’s a Proven Link Between Alcohol and Breast Cancer Risk — So Why Don’t We Hear About It?
“Each drink increases a woman’s risk for breast cancer. So binge drinking, it’s not good for anybody,” says Dr. Comen. “And it’s also not good for a woman’s increased risk of breast cancer. And so patients ask me this all the time – well, how much can I drink? If you want to have absolutely no risk from alcohol, then don’t drink at all. But probably having less than four glasses a week of alcohol is probably OK.”
Alcohol Can Increase the Risk of Developing Breast Cancer
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
