Health notes
Community in Pulse lists every kind of place, for everyone. When a search is about alcohol, smoking or pork, we share what is already well established by public health agencies, and what each major faith tradition teaches, side by side, listed by number of followers worldwide. These notes are not a claim about any listed business, and not medical advice.
Reviewed monthly. Last reviewed: . Where we found no verified reference for a tradition we say so. Know one? Share it (verified PinchHitterPool members).
Alcohol
What the science says
- The World Health Organization states that no level of alcohol consumption is safe for health; alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer. WHO, January 2023
- The U.S. Surgeon General's 2025 advisory links alcohol to cancers of the breast, colon and rectum, esophagus, liver, mouth, throat and voice box, and estimates about 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths a year in the United States. U.S. Surgeon General, January 2025
- Alcohol changes how the brain works, affecting memory, judgment and mood, and can lead to dependence. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
What faith traditions teach
| Christianity | Scripture warns against drunkenness; most churches permit moderate drinking, some (for example Methodist and Pentecostal traditions) ask members to abstain. Ephesians 5:18 |
|---|---|
| Islam | Intoxicants are forbidden. Qur'an 5:90–91 |
| Hinduism | Some classical texts count drinking liquor (surāpāna) among the gravest wrongs; practice varies widely. Manusmriti 11.54 |
| Buddhism | The fifth of the Five Precepts is to refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind. Five Precepts |
| Sikhism | The Sikh code of conduct forbids alcohol. Sikh Rehat Maryada |
| Judaism | Wine is part of ritual life; scripture warns against drunkenness. Proverbs 20:1 |
| Bahá'í | Drinking alcohol is forbidden. Kitáb-i-Aqdas |
| Jainism | Alcohol is among the things Jains avoid, as part of non-violence and self-restraint. |
Smoking, vaping and tobacco
What the science says
- Tobacco kills millions of people every year worldwide, including people who only breathe second-hand smoke. WHO tobacco fact sheet
- Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, and harms nearly every organ of the body. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Nicotine is addictive and affects the developing brain of young people, including through e-cigarettes. National Institute on Drug Abuse
What faith traditions teach
| Christianity | Often cited is the teaching that the body is a temple to be cared for; some churches ask members not to use tobacco. 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 |
|---|---|
| Islam | Many scholars rule smoking forbidden as self-harm, citing "do not throw yourselves into destruction". Qur'an 2:195 |
| Hinduism | No verified reference found. Share one |
| Buddhism | No verified reference found on tobacco specifically. Share one |
| Sikhism | The Sikh code of conduct forbids tobacco. Sikh Rehat Maryada |
| Judaism | Many modern rabbinic authorities discourage or forbid smoking, citing the duty to guard one's health. Deuteronomy 4:15 |
| Bahá'í | Smoking is strongly discouraged as harmful to health. |
| Jainism | No verified reference found. Share one |
Pork
What the science says
- The WHO's cancer agency classifies processed meat (such as bacon, ham and sausage) as causing cancer in humans (Group 1, colorectal cancer) and red meat, which includes pork, as probably causing cancer (Group 2A). IARC Monographs, volume 114
- Undercooked pork can carry parasites that cause trichinellosis and, through the pork tapeworm, cysticercosis, which can affect the brain. CDC: trichinellosis, WHO: taeniasis and cysticercosis
- Food safety agencies advise cooking pork to a safe internal temperature. USDA safe temperature chart
What faith traditions teach
| Christianity | Most churches do not restrict pork; some, such as Seventh-day Adventists, abstain following Leviticus 11. Leviticus 11:7–8 |
|---|---|
| Islam | Pork is forbidden. Qur'an 2:173, 5:3, 6:145, 16:115 |
| Hinduism | No verified reference found on pork specifically; many Hindus follow a vegetarian diet. Share one |
| Buddhism | No verified reference found on pork specifically; many Buddhists are vegetarian. Share one |
| Sikhism | No verified reference found on pork specifically; the code of conduct forbids ritually slaughtered meat. Share one |
| Judaism | Pork is not kosher. Leviticus 11:7–8, Deuteronomy 14:8 |
| Bahá'í | No verified reference found. Share one |
| Jainism | Jains do not eat any meat, as part of non-violence (ahimsa). |
Why we share this
These findings come from public health agencies and from the texts of each tradition. We are not making a claim of our own; we believe people should have this information when they search for these things. Suggestions with a reference are accepted from verified PinchHitterPool members, checked, and added at the next monthly review.