This Deep Dive focuses on the Surgeon General's 2025 Advisory that highlights the strong causal link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk, citing numerous studies showing increased risk for at least seven cancer types.
The advisory emphasises that even moderate drinking increases cancer risk, and that public awareness of this remains low.
Key recommendations include updating alcohol warning labels to include cancer risks and strengthening public education campaigns. The report extensively details the biological mechanisms by which alcohol causes cancer and provides data on absolute and relative cancer risks associated with varying levels of alcohol consumption.
Finally, it also advocates for policy changes, such as reassessing recommended alcohol limits.
