When New York City rolled out an anti-alcohol campaign coined “Buzzkill” last month, Wine Enthusiast contributor Kate Dingwall sought feedback from industry experts as to its potential impact. She also asked if the campaign’s core message that consuming any amount of any kind of alcohol increases cancer risk — explicitly conveyed via posters on subway platforms, instagram ads, and more — is in line with the actual science.
I shared some insight with Kate for her resulting in-depth article, Will New York City’s New Anti-Alcohol Campaign Actually Empty Glasses? As I told her, public health campaigns that employ scare tactics tend to be effective. And, when there is indisputable evidence of a causal relationship between a product and an undesirable health outcome, I think such campaigns serve society well. When anti-smoking campaigns began gaining steam decades ago, the science was crystal clear: tobacco causes cancer. Alcohol is a different story.
We can all agree that excessive drinking is harmful. As for light or moderate drinking, no such evidence-based conclusion has been made. Studies on the Mediterranean diet, which includes moderate wine consumption, indicate potential reductions in heart disease, dementia, and cancer risks. For consumers over 40, moderate drinking may offer cardiovascular benefits, as noted in The Lancet in 2022. Earlier this week, a new study examining the impact of alcohol on health reached the following conclusion: “Compared to abstainers, heavy drinkers had an increased risk of cancer death, and light drinkers had a decreased risk of cancer mortality, and there was no association between moderate drinking and cancer mortality.”
In a press release announcing the New York City initiative, Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin stated that “New Yorkers deserve to know the truth about the risk of cancer when drinking alcohol…knowledge is power.” The truth, however, is that “knowledge” not based on established fact is nothing more than disinformation. Rather than empowering New Yorkers, this campaign misleads them.
