Surgeon General Murthy Calls for Cancer Warnings on Alcohol as Even Light Drinking Raises Risk

Jan 3, 2025, 01:20 PM

On Friday, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory highlighting the causal link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk. Alcohol is cited as the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity, contributing to about 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths annually. Murthy called for cancer warning labels on alcoholic beverages, similar to those on cigarette packaging, to inform consumers of the risks. The advisory notes that even consuming one or fewer drinks per day can increase the risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer and tumors in other parts of the body. In response to the announcement, stocks of alcoholic beverage companies, including U.S. firms like Anheuser-Busch InBev ($BUD), Constellation Brands ($STZ), and Brown-Forman ($BF.B), as well as Europe-listed companies, have fallen.