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Alcohol-Attributable Cancer Deaths Doubled in U.S., Analysis Shows

A new study links the rise to alcohol’s growing contribution across many cancer types and suggests public-health steps could reduce preventable deaths.

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An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows A woman wearing a headscarf sits in a chair receiving ambulatory chemotherapy treatment, Image 2 shows A depressed woman sitting on a couch drinking red wine from a glass while holding a bottle
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Overview

  • The peer-reviewed analysis published Sept. 2 in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas used Global Burden of Disease data and found alcohol-attributable cancer deaths rose from about 11,361 in 1990 to 23,126 in 2023.
  • Researchers report the share of cancer deaths tied to alcohol increased for most cancers, with rising fractions for colorectal, stomach and pancreatic cancers and expanding impacts beyond liver disease.
  • The study and news coverage note that even low intake levels of roughly 5–15 grams of alcohol per day, near a single U.S. standard drink, have been linked to higher cancer risk.
  • Patterns vary by group and place: age-standardized mortality rates were higher for men than women in 2023, male rates increased since 1990 while female rates fell, and the District of Columbia had the highest state rates with Utah the lowest.
  • Authors flagged limits of the observational GBD data, including incomplete exposure records and reporting delays, and called for policy and clinical measures such as warning labels, taxation, marketing limits, and screening to reduce preventable deaths.