Big Alcohol Hides Fact Alcohol Causes Cancer From Public
The latest issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, one of the top journals in the international substance use field, runs a series of groundbreaking research into alcohol labeling effects. Big Alcohol influence and legal threats to shut down some of the studies and distorting and denying of data show that the alcohol industry continues to attempt to hide the fact that alcohol causes cancer from the broader public.
The journal’s editorial titled “The Arrogance of Power: Alcohol Industry Interference With Warning Label Research” summarizes the series of research.
The Arrogance of Power: Alcohol Industry Interference With Warning Label Research
Key findings from the research:
- Health warnings on alcoholic beverage containers, including that alcohol causes cancer, bring about a reduction in consumption of alcohol;
- These health warnings bring about an increase in knowledge by the public about health risks associated with alcohol; and
- The alcohol industry works aggressively to suppress such research.
In one of the studies of the series, two territories of Canada were chosen and one territory received health warnings on beverage containers in the form of large yellow warning labels, including the key message that alcohol causes cancer. The other nearby territory operated as control group continuing as usual without any health warning labels. The results showed a 6.6% sales decrease in the territory with the cancer warning label compared to a 6.9% increase in sales in the control territory.
Big Alcohol started an aggressive lobby campaign to shut down the research, then made media statements distorting and denying the evidence.
…it is highly unlikely that the alcohol industry will voluntarily warn its customers of the risk of cancer, but instead will continue to deny and/or distort the truth about alcohol-related health risks, including cancer risk,” said Professor Doug Sellman, a medical spokesperson for Alcohol Action NZ, in his comments in the study fundings, as per New Zealand Doctor.
Large yellow health warnings on alcoholic beverage containers have been shown to be effective in warning consumers of the risk of cancer, and should be made mandatory,” added Professor Sellman.
