Alcohol is a leading cause of cancer, but public awareness of connection remains strikingly low in the US, with only 40% of American adults recognizing alcohol as a risk of cancer, according to a new study by the University of Texas Cancer Center.
The findings published today Jama oncologyThey reveal that 39% of American adults do not know the relationship between cancer and alcohol and an additional 20% are uncertain if they have heard or read about the link. In addition, of the 5,937 respondents, just over 30% believe that cancer prevention is not possible.
Despite the established correlation between alcohol and cancer, alcohol consumption continued to grow in the US, our findings suggest that many people do not know the significant benefit of reducing or eliminating alcohol intake. Simply put, the more a person drinks, the greater the risk of developing cancer. ”
Sanjay Shete, Ph.D., corresponding writer, Deputy Director of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences
Alcohol consumption has been linked to at least seven types of cancer, including colon, breast, liver, mouth, vocal box, neck and esophagus. Each year, alcohol -related cancers claim the lives of more than 20,000 Americans, but almost 70% of US adults admit that they consume alcoholic beverages. In January 2025, the US Surgeon General issued counseling on how alcohol increases the risk of cancer that has also called for a new health label in alcoholic beverages.
The researchers found that the awareness of the relationship between alcohol and cancer was lower among black respondents (30%), those with some college training or less (35.2%) and those who did not believe that cancer (31.5%) could be prevented. Alternatively, respondents who had experienced cancer were more likely to know the connection.
“Since we now know that there is an increased risk of cancer, even at low alcohol consumption, there is an urgent need to improve public awareness,” Shete said. “We hope that these findings encourage clinical doctors to speak immediately with their patients and that the immediate revision of the consumption of consumption will become a national priority.”
This study was based on data from research on 2022 health information and measured through the question: “Have you ever heard or read that alcohol increases the risk of cancer?” Possible answers were: “yes”, “no” or “I don’t know.”
Restrictions may include the design of research, which has not allowed researchers to create a causal relationship between raising awareness and selected variables.
This study was funded by the National Cancer Institute (P30CA016672) and the president of Betty B. Marcus in cancer prevention.
Source:
Magazine report:
Domgue, F., et al. (2025). Awareness of the public about the relationship between alcohol and cancer in the US. Jama oncology. doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2025.1146.
