CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – A UVA Health gastroenterologist who specializes in treatment of liver disease says data reflects alcohol consumption can increase cancer risk, leading to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Friday call for warning labels on alcoholic beverages. The call by Dr. Vivek Murthy would be similar to labels on cigarettes and would require Congression to approve.

Dr. Neeral Shah says animal studies have been around for a while showing the link between alcohol and development of liver, mouth and throat, and breast cancers. Dr. Shah says there’s a baseline breast cancer risk in our society of about 10-to-11-percent that he says increases by 1-to-2-percent with a drink-a-day, and as much as 4-to-5-percent on two drinks a day. He says there’s indeed a direct correlation “even with something as common as breast cancer you can reduce your affects by a lifestyle change of reducing or abstaining from alcohol”.  Dr. Shah notes there are 100-thousand annual cases of cancer that can link back directly to alcohol use, and 20,000 deaths.
Click here to read the Surgeon General’s advisory.