How Should America Bring A Decrease in Alcohol Consumption?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday concerns a freedom that is not even mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. However, it is mentioned in a round-a-bout way in the Declaration of Independence in these famous words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness….”

All Americans claim their right to have “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” [better known as the opportunity to own property]. Yet, this right is sacrificed at the altar of another freedom – the freedom to take into our bodies whatever we choose to eat, drink, or use.

On February 27, 1833, at Kirtland, Ohio, the Lord revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith a revelation known as the Word of Wisdom. This revelation is now known as Doctrine and Covenants 89 and is known as “a principle with promise” (verse 3).

4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation –

5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.

6 And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.

7 And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.

The principle for health is right there in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: wine or strong drinks are not good for the belly but are valuable for cleansing the body of germs. The Lord did allow the Saints to use grape juice for their sacrament service, but the grape juice was to be pure and homemade. The practice of using grape juice in sacrament meeting ended at least 80 years ago.

The above counsel to abstain from wine and strong drink was given 192 years ago by the Lord. Last week, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory about the connection between alcohol consumption and the increased risk of at least seven types of cancer. He wants a cancer warning to be included on the labels of alcohol. Lois M. Collins has been reporting for a long time at the Deseret News about health, parenting, aging, and policy. 

Imbibing is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., after tobacco and obesity, raising the risk of at least seven different types of cancer, according to U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who said most Americans don’t recognize the danger.

Friday, Murthy released a new Surgeon General’s Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk, outlining the link and calling for warning labels about cancer on alcoholic beverages.

There is a “well-established, direct link” for at least seven types of cancer: cancers of the breast, colorectum, esophagus, liver, mouth, throat and voice box, per the advisory. That risk increases regardless of the type of alcohol consumed. The advisory. The advisory reported that 16.4% of breast cancer cases can be laid at the door of alcohol consumption, for example.

“Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States – greater than the 13,500 alcohol-associated traffic crash fatalities per year in the U.S. – yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk,” Vivek said in a news release. “This advisory lays out steps we can all take to increase awareness of alcohol’s cancer risk and minimize harm.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that “for certain cancers, like breast, mouth and throat cancers, evidence shows that the risk of developing cancer may start to increase around one or fewer drinks per day,” per the advisory. “An individual’s risk of developing cancer due to alcohol consumption is determined by a complex interaction of biological, environmental, social and economic factors.”

The advisory notes 741,300 cancer cases worldwide were attributable to alcohol in 2020. Of those, 185,100 cancers were diagnosed in people who had two or fewer drinks per day. A standard drink in the U.S. has 14 grams of pure alcohol and would include 5 fluid ounces of wine, 12 of beer or 1.5 of liquor.

Advisories are public statements “reserved for significant health challenges that require the nation’s immediate awareness and action,” the release said….

A survey conducted by the American Institute for Cancer Research in 2019 among U.S. adults 18 and older found that 91% knew that radiation increases cancer risk and 89% recognized that was true for tobacco. It found 81% knew asbestos raised the risk, as did 53% regarding obesity. But just 45% knew that alcohol increases the risk of developing certain types of cancer.

The advisory notes that the World Health Organization and its International Agency for Research on Cancer consider alcohol a Group 1 carcinogen, its “highest level of classification” for something causing cancer in humans. Tobacco, asbestos and formaldehyde are all among Group 1 carcinogens.

The advisory included information about how alcohol causes cancer and said that alcohol contains “four cancer-causing mechanisms.”

·         “Alcohol breaks down acetaldehyde, a metabolite that binds to and damages DNA, which can allow a cell to grow uncontrollably and create a tumor.”

·         “Alcohol increases inflammation and may harm DNA, proteins and lipids through oxidation.”

·         “Alcohol messes with hormone levels including estrogen, which can lead to breast cancer.”

·         “Other carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, can dissolve in alcohol, ‘making it easier for them to be absorbed into the body, increasing the risk for mouth and throat cancers.’”

Collins’ article noted that there have been other health warnings on alcoholic beverages since 1988. One health warning says that women should not “drink alcohol while pregnant because of the risk of birth defects.” Another warning states that “drinking impairs ability to drive or operate machinery and can cause health problems.”

According to Collins, “Murthy wants Congress to change the label statement to include a warning about the cancer risk,” and the “report notes that 47 countries require alcohol warning labels related to health and safety and that South Korea requires a cancer-specific warning.” The advisory is also calling for the labels on alcoholic beverages to be “clear as far as cancer risk” and “more visible and prominent.”

In addition, the advisory calls “for a reassessment of recommended limits for alcohol consumption based on the latest evidence on alcohol and cancer risk.” It also calls for “expanded education to increase general awareness of the link between cancer and alcohol.” The types of education should include more discussion between health care providers and patients about the link between cancer and alcohol. Encouragement to decrease alcohol consumption should become popular.