In a panel discussion last week at the Optimum Theater in Bethpage, experts from Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital and Oceanside community leaders gathered to address the growing concerns about alcohol consumption and its link to cancer. The event, on April 9, which was the day before National Alcohol Screening Day, brought together medical professionals and community representatives to share their insights about a recently released Truth in Medicine poll and strategies to mitigate alcohol-related health risks.
The poll was conducted by a nationally recognized independent polling firm, LJR Custom Strategies, with offices in Washington and New Orleans. LJR has conducted more than 2,000 studies for a broad spectrum of health care, business, education, cultural, and political clients in nearly every state in the country and around the world.
Sponsored by Four Leaf — formerly Bethpage Federal Credit Union — the poll periodically gathers data about public attitudes on key public health topics.
The discussion opened with an overview of the poll, which was conducted in late January and surveyed 600 adults across Long Island and New York City. Forty-six percent of respondents had heard about outgoing surgeon general Vivek Murthy’s recommendation that cancer warning labels be placed on alcohol products, and 51 percent said they would consider drinking less if informed about the risks — but nearly half of those polled remained skeptical or unsure about the association between alcohol consumption and cancer.
“There is no doubt that alcohol causes cancer,” said Dr. Adhi Sharma, president of Mount Sinai South Nassau, likening alcohol to well-known hazards like tobacco and benzene. “The scientific evidence is clear: even moderate alcohol consumption carries risk. There is no safe level when it comes to cancer.”
The current health warning label on alcoholic beverages states only that alcohol impairs the ability to drive or operate machinery, and that women should not drink during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects.
“There’s no data to support that one glass of alcohol a week is harmless,” Sharma added. “It doesn’t mean you’re going to get a cancer definitively, but it does mean that you have a risk associated with that. Doesn’t mean that you’re going to get cancer with every drink, but it is a cancer-causing agent. It is a little concerning that a certain significant percentage of people we poll don’t believe that.”
Murthy’s proposed warning is based on new research linking alcohol consumption with an increased risk for seven types of cancer.
“The evidence shows that alcohol increases the risk for cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colorectal region, and, notably, breast cancer,” said Dr. Rajiv Datta, medical director of the hospital’s cancer program and chair of the surgery department.
If Congress approves adding the warning, its impact could be dramatic: 54 percent of poll respondents said they generally believe warning labels on food and beverages. Seeing the warning in print could motivate the 20 percent — of the total number of respondents who said they drink — to follow through on their stated desire to reduce their alcohol consumption, and could also move the 63 percent of respondents who said they took part in “Dry January” or a similar challenge to continue their efforts to cut back.
Only 38 percent of poll respondents who made New Year’s resolutions said they included drinking less.
Citing data from 2020, Datta noted that alcohol was implicated in nearly 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 deaths annually, with its impact on longevity being particularly alarming.
Dr. Pruthvi Patel, a liver specialist and MSSN’s associate program director of outpatient hepatology, highlighted another critical point: the silent nature of liver damage.
“The liver does not have nerve endings,” Patel noted. “Patients can have significant liver damage from alcohol over the years without any obvious symptoms until the damage is severe.”
She explained that a standard drink — defined as containing 14 grams of pure alcohol — puts the same toxin load on the liver, whether beer, wine or spirits. Patel urged moderation, recommending that women limit themselves to one drink over two hours, and men to no more than two drinks in the same period, ideally paired with food to help slow the absorption of alcohol.
Ali Eriksen, the project coordinator for the Oceanside SAFE Coalition, brought a community viewpoint to the discussion. The coalition, which focuses on drug-use prevention and awareness, was founded in Oceanside in 2015.
“While messaging can be a powerful tool in reducing alcohol consumption, awareness alone is not enough,” Eriksen said.
She stressed that many people already know about the risks of alcohol, yet that awareness has not necessarily translated into behavioral change.
“It’s like trying to remove fish from a polluted pond,” Eriksen said. “We need to treat the pond itself by addressing the broader societal and environmental factors that contribute to harmful drinking habits.”
The discussion also touched on the importance of routine medical screenings. Despite the fact that liver function tests are part of any annual physical, Patel warned that many cases of chronic liver damage can go undetected until it is too late.
As the discussion concluded, the consensus was clear: reducing alcohol-related harm requires a united effort across multiple fronts.
“We are not suggesting that everyone must become abstinent,” Datta said. “But if you are going to drink, it should be done with full awareness of the risks, and ideally, in moderation.”
To get an alcohol screening at a testing center in your area, call the Long Island Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, at (516) 747-2606 or visit its website, www.licadd.org.
