AIIMS demands cancer warning labels on alcohol bottles

AIIMS doctors urge mandatory cancer warnings on alcohol bottles, citing strong evidence linking alcohol to seven cancer types. With India’s cancer cases rising (13.8 lakh in 2022, up 36% since 2012), they highlight alcohol’s role in 4.7% of cases. US research confirms alcohol’s carcinogenic effects, stressing the need for public awareness.

New Delhi: We all know that alcohol is injurious to health, but the Indian government has not taken any concrete action on this yet. Now doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have made an important suggestion that cancer warning labels should be put on liquor bottles like tobacco products. Doctors say that there is strong evidence of seven types of cancer caused by alcohol, so it is important to alert the public about its dangers.

Direct connection between alcohol and cancer

AIIMS doctors have stated in a report published in the journal 'Frontiers in Public Health' that alcohol is also a carcinogen like tobacco. However, people are less aware about the harms of alcohol as compared to tobacco. Dr. Abhishek Shankar, Dr. Vaibhav Sahni, and Dr. Deepak Saini have expressed concern in this report that the risk of getting addicted to alcohol is highest in adolescence, because at this age addiction habits take hold quickly, and then it becomes difficult to leave it. If cancer warnings are written on liquor bottles, then youth can understand its side effects and avoid drinking alcohol.

Increasing cases of cancer in India

According to the report, cancer cases are increasing rapidly in India. Between 2012 and 2022, the number of cancer patients has increased by 36%, from 10.1 lakh to 13.8 lakh. According to GLOBOCAN 2022 data, about 14.1 lakh new cancer cases are reported in India every year, while 9.17 lakh people have died of cancer in the last five years. Of these, 4.7% of cases are directly related to alcohol consumption. 2016 data shows that of the total deaths in India, 6.6% were caused by alcohol, while tobacco caused 10.9% of deaths.

US Surgeon General's warning

The researchers also cited an advisory issued by the US Surgeon General in January 2025, which states that alcohol consumption increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer (intestine, liver, breast, throat, mouth, etc.). This effect is equally felt by both men and women. Alcohol in the body produces a harmful chemical called acetaldehyde, which damages DNA and promotes cancer cells.