'There is no safe level' of alcohol to drink, doctor says—not even one glass of red wine per day

Having a glass of wine a day has been often touted as a healthy choice for your heart. While there are warnings against using other substances like cigarettes, alcohol in moderation is typically considered fine — but that may be changing.

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages people to avoid large amounts of alcohol, and suggests sticking to two or fewer drinks daily for men and one or fewer drinks a day for women.

Yet, the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's newest Advisory suggests that even small amounts of alcohol could be harmful and may increase your risk of developing cancer.

"Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States – greater than the 13,500 alcohol-associated traffic crash fatalities per year in the U.S. – yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk," the Surgeon General's Advisory states.

His Advisory points to studies that have found a clear link between alcohol consumption and a higher risk of developing seven types of cancers including breast cancer.

"We now know that there is no safe level for alcohol consumption, and that alcohol is a known carcinogen," says Dr. Faiz Bhora, a professor of surgery and regional chair of surgery at Hackensack Meridian Health and Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.

"Its mechanism of cellular damage has been well established. It causes oxidative stress and impairs DNA repair, amongst other mechanisms that lead to cell cycle dysregulation and cancer formation."

The Surgeon General is calling for manufacturers of alcoholic beverages like beer and spirits to update warning labels to include cancer risk. Currently, beverages containing