Alcohol Increases Cancer Risk, Yet Few Know It

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that reducing alcohol consumption or abstaining can lower cancer risk, data from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) reveal that fewer than half of Americans are aware that regular alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing cancer later in life. (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Annenberg Survey of Attitudes on Public Health (ASAPH)

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Alcohol and Cancer Risk Link

The conclusion that alcohol consumption carries significant health risks is backed by systematic reviews as well as meta-analyses focused on the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of death from any cause.

The survey findings come from APPC’s nationally representative Annenberg Science and Public Health (ASAPH) Knowledge survey, which was conducted with a panel of more than 1,700 U.S. adults in September 2024.

Although 40% of survey respondents were aware that regularly consuming alcohol increases the chance of later developing cancer, 40% were not sure whether that is true, and 20% reported inaccurate beliefs (either that it would have no effect or that it would decrease the chance of developing cancer).

“Public health messages about the risks associated with drinking alcohol have to overcome the effects of decades of sophisticated marketing and positive media portrayals,” noted Patrick E. Jamieson, who directs APPC’s Annenberg Health and Risk Communication Institute.

Reference:

1. Annenberg Survey of Attitudes on Public Health (ASAPH) - (https://cdn.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/X4011-APPC-National-Survey-Wave-21_Methods-Report_100824_Confidential.pdf)

Source-Eurekalert