US surgeon general urges cancer warnings for alcoholic drinks

Alcoholic drinks should carry a warning about cancer risks on their label, the U.S. Surgeon General said on Friday in a move that could signal a shift towards more aggressive tobacco-style regulation for the sector.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said alcohol consumption increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer, including breast, colon and liver cancer, but most U.S. consumers remain unaware of this.

Shares in European-listed liquor companies Diageo DGE.L and Pernod Ricard PERP.PA were both down over 3%, while beer makers Heineken HEIN.AS and Anheuser-Busch InBev ABI.BR also slipped.

Shares of U.S.-listed alcoholic beverage makers – Constellation Brands STZ.N, Brown-Forman Corp BFb.N and Molson Coors TAP.N fell between 1% and 2% in early trading.

Murthy also called for the guidelines on alcohol consumption limits to be reassessed so that people can weigh the cancer risk when deciding whether or how much to drink, alongside current warnings on birth defects and impairments when operating machinery.

“Alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity, increasing risk for at least seven types of cancer,” Murthy’s office said in a statement accompanying the new report.

Diageo, Pernod, Heineken, AB InBev, as well as other beer and liquor makers and industry associations, did not immediately share comments.

It is responsible for 100,000 U.S. cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths each year, more than the 13,500 alcohol-associated traffic crash deaths, it added.

In the U.S., there are about 20,000 alcohol-related cancer deaths annually, according to the report.

Alcoholic beverages in the United States currently carry a health warning label that advises pregnant women to not drink them and that their consumption impairs a person’s ability to drive a car or operate machinery.

This label has not changed since its inception in 1988.

“The direct link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk is well-established for at least seven types of cancer … regardless of the type of alcohol (e.g., beer, wine, and spirits) that is consumed,” the statement said, including cancers of the esophagus, mouth, throat and voice box.

The new report recommends healthcare providers should encourage alcohol screening and treatment referrals as needed, and efforts to increase general awareness should be expanded.