It's time to rethink how safe alcohol is

The US Surgeon General's advisory on cancer risks is a long overdue step towards helping people better understand the effects of even moderate drinking.

- Lisa Jarvis

January is that time of year when we pause to examine our health habits, and US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory with an important data point to consider: the strong link between alcohol consumption and cancer.

Dr. Murthy's warning is a needed and long overdue step towards helping people better understand the effects of even moderate drinking. Ideally, it will be followed by action from policymakers and doctors that helps Americans make better choices when it comes to alcohol.

The report doesn't highlight anything new. Experts say evidence has mounted over the past decade that even moderate drinking can increase the risk of certain cancers. And yet, as Dr. Murthy's report emphasizes, fewer than half of US adults are aware of the connection.

That lack of knowledge doesn't surprise Dr. Shelly Greenfield, director of the Alcohol, Drug and Addiction Clinical and Health Services Research Programme at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts. Whenever she gives talks that touch on the link between alcohol and cancer, people thank her and say it's the first they've heard of it. "That's why the surgeon general's advisory is so important," she says. "Nobody should have that experience."

Raising awareness about the risks is key to helping people make decisions about drinking. The messaging around what is considered "safe" when it comes to alcohol has been confusing at best. Guidelines recommend that men consume no more than two standard drinks a day, and women one or less. But the truth is, no level of drinking is safe, and consumers need to hear that.