New Delhi, July 29
Adopting tobacco-style warning labels on alcohol bottles can be a key measure to prevent the rising burden of cancer in India, said experts on Tuesday.
A recent paper, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, called for strong, evidence-based warning labels on alcohol products, building on India’s success with tobacco warnings.
Alcohol, like tobacco, is a proven carcinogen linked to several cancers, including liver, breast and colon, yet awareness remains low.
“Cancer warning labels on alcohol bottles are a low-cost, high-impact intervention that can raise awareness, influence consumption habits, and prevent long-term health harm,” lead author Dr Abhishek Shankar, Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, told.
“With India having one of the fastest-growing alcohol markets and the largest adolescent population globally, adopting such preventive measures is not just necessary but urgent to protect our youth and reduce the nation’s growing burden of alcohol-related cancers,” the oncologist added.
Cancer cases in India have seen a steep rise, with data from the 2012 to 2022 period suggesting a 36 per cent uptick in incidence (1.01 million−1.38 million).