Surgeon General’s Warning (ep. 86)

INTRO

In episode 86, Stephen spends some time musing on the recent announcement that the U.S. Surgeon General recommends cancer warnings on beverage alcohol labels.

CREDITS

Theme Song: Begin Anywhere by Tomoko Miyata (http://tomokomiyata.net/)

Mixing and Editing: Rich Pav (https://uncannyjapan.com/)

HOSTS

CHRISTOPHER PELLEGRINI Vermont born and bred, long-time Tokyo resident and author of The Shochu Handbook, Christopher learned about delicious fermentations as a beer brewer at Otter Creek (Middlebury, VT). He now spends most of his waking hours convincing strangers that shochu and awamori are unlike anything they’ve ever tried before. 

STEPHEN LYMAN discovered Japan’s indigenous spirits at an izakaya in New York City. He was so enthralled that he now lives in Japan and works in a tiny craft shochu distillery every autumn. His first book, The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks, was nominated for a 2020 James Beard Award.

Stephen Lyman and Christopher Pellegrini support mindful drinking habits and will always applaud anyone who is drinking smarter.

If you have any comments or questions about this episode, please reach out to Stephen or Christopher via Instagram. We would love to hear from you. 

SHOW NOTES

Alcohol Causes Cancer?

Indirectly, yes. Acetaldehyde is a a bi-product of ethanol metabolism. Acetaldehyade is also a known carcinogen. As a result, ethanol itself has been designated a class 1 carcinogen by the World Health organization since 1998.

Given that any alcohol that is consumed will be converted to acetaldehyde before it is again metabolized into acetate, there is a cancer risk associated with any alcohol consumption. However, that risk is limited. Once the acetaldehyde is converted to acetate, the cancer threat is over. If the acetaldehyde did not result in a spontaneous cell mutation which became a malignant (cancerous) cell, the risk has passed. Until the next drink. And the one after that.

With the build up of alcohol consumption episodes that risk that a malignant mutation occurs becomes more likely. However, that cell mutation also needs to mutate into a cell that can reproduce to cause a tumor to grow.

As a result, despite this risk, alcohol is only thought to be responsible for about 5% of cancer diagnoses with nearly 20% due to tobacco use and 8% to obesity. UV radiation, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity are the other major lifestyle risk factors for cancer.

Why Now?

If beverage alcohol has been a known carcinogen for 27 years, why is the Surgeon General only now beginning to think about putting warnings on labels? Many people still do not realize that alcohol can cause cancer, but most people now know that alcohol consumption can harm the unborn fetus and that drinking and driving don’t mix. The warning labels on alcohol have raised awareness. It’s probably past time that these warnings include cancer risk.

It’s unlikely to change drinking behaviors as much as other headwinds that beverage alcohol faces in the marketplace between newly legalized alternative mood altering drugs (hello, Mary Jane) and the fact that the new miracle weight loss drugs do not mix well with alcohol. As a result, people are already drinking less.

Taken all together we are likely to have more people making smarter decisions about when and how they drink alcohol and you can count us among those who think that’s a good thing. Therefore, we agree with the Surgeon General’s recommendation.

Much More to Explore

Stephen is fond of saying “Life’s too short to drink bad booze.” Perhaps that needs to be amended to “Bad booze isn’t worth the risk.” Anyway, he will work on a new slogan. In the meantime, enjoy in moderation as we have been encouraging since episode 51 if not before.

Kanpai!