More than half of U.S. adults don’t know that drinking alcohol can increase their risk of cancer, according to new research from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The nationally representative study, published in JAMA Oncology, found that 52.9% of Americans were unaware alcohol affects cancer risk, while just over one-third (37.1%) recognized the connection. One percent believed drinking lowers cancer risk.
Researchers found the biggest gaps among people who had recently consumed alcohol, current smokers and those with lower education levels. Black respondents and people who believed cancer wasn’t preventable were also less likely to know about the link.
“It’s concerning that people who drink alcohol are the ones most likely to believe it has no effect on cancer risk,” said lead author Sanjay Shete, Ph.D., professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at MD Anderson. “We need to work on correcting these misperceptions, which could be essential to reducing the growing burden of alcohol-related cancers.”
The findings highlight a persistent disconnect between scientific evidence and public understanding. Alcohol is classified by the World Health Organization as a Group 1 carcinogen, the same category as tobacco and asbestos, and has been linked to at least seven types of cancer, including breast, colorectal and liver. According to the National Institutes of Health, alcohol accounts for about 5.5% of new cancer cases and 5.8% of cancer deaths worldwide.
The authors say improving awareness could help people better follow alcohol consumption guidelines recently reinforced in the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2025 advisory.
This study was funded by the National Cancer Institute and the Betty B. Marcus Chair in Cancer Prevention.