Research suggests that enhanced labeling on alcoholic drinks might plug the gaps in public knowledge.

How bad is drinking for your health really? When we think of the potential harm that alcohol can do we tend to think of a range of conditions. According to the British Medical Association alcohol is linked to over 60 different medical conditions, causing 7,500 deaths and over 1 million related hospital admissions.

Organisations like Drinkaware attempt to rectify the gaps in public knowledge by providing advice. But, a new study suggests that detailed alcohol warning labels could be the real solution.

A recent study in the United states suggests 70 per cent of adults are unaware that light or moderate alcohol consumption can increase their cancer risk.

“Many people are unaware of the full range of risks from alcohol consumption,” said Anna H. Grummon, the study’s lead author. “For example, there is now scientific consensus that alcohol increases the risk of several types of cancer, including head and neck cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer. But two-thirds of Americans are not aware of these risks.”

In the UK the statistics seem to vary based on the cancer type. A Cancer Research UK survey showed that about 47 per cent of the British public are aware that drinking could be linked to cancer risk.

The researchers of the paper suggest that simply placing enhanced labels on alcoholic products would be the cheapest and most efficient way to seal the gap in knowledge.

The authors point out that in over 150 countries warning labels are required on cigarette packaging, which has contributed to significant decreases in smoking rates.

Warning labels were most effective when they were placed on the front of the product and including a visual element (photo or illustration). By rotating the designs authors believe this would stop the message becoming “stale” to consumers.

Read the study here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2206494

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