'Moderate drinking is not healthy,' expert says
Doctor can speak to media about Surgeon General’s call for cancer warning labels on alcohol
- ‘Few people know there is an association between alcohol and cancer’
- Expert says news is controversial as evidence is based on associations more than causation
CHICAGO --- U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy on Friday called for cancer warning labels to be added to alcohol, citing that alcohol increases the risk of developing at least seven types of cancer.
“The news is helpful as few people know there is an association between alcohol and cancer, and it further reverses the misbelief that moderate drinking is healthy,” said Dr. Aashish Didwania, vice chair of education at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Moderate drinking is not healthy.”
Didwania also is a professor of general internal medicine and medical education, and a Northwestern Medicine physician. He is available starting Saturday to speak to media about the announcement. Contact Kristin Samuelson to arrange an interview.
Didwania can discuss what constitutes moderate drinking, how moderate drinking increases a person’s risk for developing cancer, and more.
“The news is controversial as it is a notable change from the past recommendations and is suggesting warning labels for evidence that is based on associations more than causation, and for risk levels that we need to further research and interpret,” Didwania said.