Word of Wisdom is the common title for a revelation that counsels Latter-day Saints on maintaining good health and is published as Doctrine and Covenants: section 89. The practice of abstaining from all forms of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea, which may outwardly distinguish active Latter-day Saints more than any other practice, derives from this revelation.

Called "a Word of Wisdom" in the introduction, the revelation was given to Joseph Smith at Kirtland, Ohio, on February 27, 1833, when the School of the Prophets was meeting at his home in the Whitney Store. It came in response to the Prophet's inquiry about tobacco, which was being used by some of the men attending the school. The revelation states that it is specifically for the latter days because of "evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men" (D&C 89:4). The Word of Wisdom limited alcohol use to wine for the Sacrament and hard liquor for washing the body. It noted tobacco as useful only for treating bruises and sick cattle. Hot drinks (later defined as coffee and tea) were not for "the body or belly" (D&C 89:9). Additional advice was given permitting the use of meat, but suggesting that it be restricted to winter or times of famine (D&C 89:12-13). The revelation places strong emphasis on the use of grains, particularly wheat, as the staple of the human diet (D&C 89:14, 16-17), and upon fruits and vegetables ("herbs" verse 11; cf. 59:17-18) in season. The Word of Wisdom also states that some "herbs" are present on the earth for the healing of human ailments (D&C 89:8-11). Church members should not consume alcohol, tobacco, tea, or coffee and should use moderation in eating other foods.

Those who follow this counsel and keep the other commandments of God are promised that they will have "health in their navel and marrow to their bones," "shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint," "shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures," and "the destroying angel shall pass by them…and not slay them" (D&C 89:18-21; cf. Dan. 1:3-20; 2:19-30).

The promises associated with the Word of Wisdom are considered both temporal and spiritual. The temporal promise has been interpreted as better health, and the spiritual promise as a closer relationship to God. These promises reflect the concern of the Church with both the temporal and spiritual Welfare of its members. They also reflect God's concern with the condition of the physical body of every person, paralleling aspects of other religious health codes defining types of foods forbidden for health and spiritual reasons.

The introduction to the 1835 printing of the revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants indicated that it was given as counsel or advice rather than as a binding commandment, though the revelation states that it was "adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints" (D&C 89:3). Compliance with its teachings was sporadic from the late 1830s until the early years of the twentieth century. The Church encouraged leaders to be an example to the people in abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee; but no binding Church policy was articulated during this time.

The prohibition movement, spearheaded by the Protestant Evangelical churches in America, focused on alcohol consumption as a political rather than a moral issue. The movement intensified the Church's interest in the Word of Wisdom. There is evidence that Church Presidents John Taylor, Joseph F. Smith, and Heber J. Grant wanted to promote adherence to the Word of Wisdom as a precondition for entering LDS temples or holding office in any Church organization; and indeed, by 1930 abstinence from the use of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea had become an official requirement for those seeking temple recommends. While abstinence from these substances is now required for temple attendance and for holding priesthood offices or other Church callings, no other ecclesiastical sanctions are imposed on those who do not comply with the Word of Wisdom.

Other dietary aspects of the Word of Wisdom have not received the stress that the abstinence portions have. While some leaders, such as John A. Widtsoe, have emphasized the benefits of eating whole grains, no distinctive dietary practices have emerged that distinguish Mormons from non-Mormons, though the use of whole-grain cereals is often assumed to be higher among Latter-day Saints than other people.

With the appearance of cola drinks in the early 1900s, the Church was confronted with cold beverages containing caffeine, a harmful substance believed to make coffee and tea unacceptable. While no official Church position has been stated, leaders have counseled members to avoid caffeine and other addictive chemicals. (See Cola Drinks)

Church leaders universally caution against any use of such drugs as marijuana and cocaine and the abuse of prescription drugs. While none of these substances are mentioned specifically in the Word of Wisdom, the concept of the sanctity of the body and the deleterious effects of chemical substances on it have been emphasized as an extension of the Word of Wisdom.

Many of the health benefits associated with abstinence from the substances mentioned in the Word of Wisdom did not become clear until the latter part of the twentieth century. During World War I use of cigarettes among men became widespread, and during World War II, among women. The association of cigarette smoking with lung cancer was documented in the early 1950s, but official statements by scientific bodies accepting this relationship as causal did not occur until the mid-1960s. Since that time, many other diseases have been associated with cigarette smoking, including cancers of the oral cavity, larynx, esophagus, kidney, bladder, and pancreas; peptic ulcers; coronary heart disease; chronic bronchitis; infant mortality; and chronic obstructive airway disease.

Studies have found that Latter-day Saints have substantially lower risk for all of these illnesses (30-80 percent below that of non-Mormons living in Utah or in other areas of the United States) and that people who abstain from these substances are at much lower risk of these diseases than those who do not. Few health risks have been clearly identified with the use of tea and coffee, though some evidence suggests that those who abstain from coffee may be at lower risk for peptic ulcers, cancer of the pancreas, and coronary heart disease. Some studies estimate that those complying with the Word of Wisdom increase their life expectancy up to seven years.

Alexander, Thomas G. Mormonism in Transition, pp. 258-71. Urbana, Ill., 1986.

Arrington, Leonard J. "An Economic Interpretation of the "Word of Wisdom."' BYU Studies 1 (Winter 1959):37-49.

Backman, Milton V., Jr. The Heavens Resound: A History of the Latter-day Saints in Ohio 1830-1838, pp. 234-36, 257-61. Salt Lake City, 1983.

Bush, Lester E., Jr. "The Word of Wisdom in Early Nineteenth-Century Perspective." Dialogue 14 (Autumn 1981):47-65.

Bush, Lester E., Jr. "The Mormon Tradition." In Caring and Curing: Health and Medicine in the Western Religious Traditions, ed. R. Numbers and D. Amundsen, pp. 397-419. New York, 1986.

Enstrom, James E. "Cancer Mortality Among Mormons." Cancer 36 (1975):825-41.

Enstrom, James E. "Health Practices and Cancer Mortality Among Active California Mormons." Journal of the National Cancer Institute 81 (1989):1807-1814.

Gardner, John W., and Joseph L. Lyon. "Cancer in Utah Mormon Men by Lay Priesthood Level." American Journal of Epidemiology 116 (1982):243-57.

Gardner, John W., and Joseph L. Lyon. "Cancer in Utah Mormon Women by Church Activity Level." American Journal of Epidemiology 116 (1982):258-65.

Lyon, Joseph L., et al. "Cancer Incidence in Mormons and Non-Mormons in Utah, 1966-1970." New England Journal of Medicine 294 (1976):129-38.

Lyon, Joseph L., and Steven Nelson. "Mormon Health." Dialogue 12 (Fall 1979):84-96.

Lyon, Joseph L.; John W. Gardner; and Dee W. West. "Cancer Incidence in Mormons and Non-Mormons in Utah during 1967-1975." Journal of the National Cancer Institute 65 (1980):1055-61.

Peterson, Paul H. "An Historical Analysis of the Word of Wisdom." Master's thesis, Brigham Young University, 1972.

Widtsoe, John A., and Leah D. Widtsoe. The Word of Wisdom: A Modern Interpretation. Salt Lake City, 1937.

Woolley, F. Ross; Katharina L. Schuman; and Joseph L. Lyon. "Neonatal Mortality in Utah." American Journal of Epidemiology 116 (1982):541-46.

A revelation given to Joseph Smith, February 27, 1833, containing a part of the revealed counsel in the field of health, because it begins, "A Word of Wisdom, for the benefit of ... the church" (D. & C. 89:1), is now commonly known as the Word of Wisdom. As a revealed law of health, dealing particularly with dietary matters, it contains both positive and negative instructions. Its affirmative provision gives directions for the use of meat and grain by both man and animals; its prohibitions direct man to refrain from the use of certain specified harmful things. (D. & C. 89.)

Three types of things are prohibited to man by the Word of Wisdom -- tobacco, strong drinks, and hot drinks. By strong drinks is meant alcoholic beverages; hot drinks, according to the Prophet's own statement, mean tea and coffee. Accordingly the negative side of the Word of Wisdom is a command to abstain from tea, coffee, tobacco, and liquor.

Abstinence from these four things has been accepted by the Church as a measuring rod to determine in part the personal worthiness of church members. When decisions are made relative to the granting of temple recommends or approving brethren for church positions or ordinations, inquiry is made relative to these four items.

Obviously the standard of judgment must be uniform throughout the Church, and local officers are not at liberty to add other items to this list. However, there are many other substances which have a harmful effect on the human body, though such particular things are not specifically prohibited by the Word of Wisdom. Certainly the partaking of cola drinks, though not included within the measuring standard here set out, is in violation of the spirit of the Word of Wisdom. Harmful drugs of any sort are in a like category.

Some unstable people become cranks with reference to this law of health. It should be understood that the Word of Wisdom is not the gospel, and the gospel is not the Word of Wisdom. As Paul said, "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Rom. 14:17.)

There is no prohibition in Section 89, for instance, as to the eating of white bread, using white flour, white sugar, cocoa, chocolate, eggs, milk, meat, or anything else, except items classified under the headings, tea, coffee, tobacco, and liquor. As a matter of fact those who command that men should not eat meat, are not ordained of God, such counsel being listed by Paul as an evidence of apostasy. God has created "meats," he says, "to he received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." (1 Tim. 4:3.) If some particular food or drink disagrees with an individual, then that person should act accordingly without reference to the prohibitions in this particular law of health.

Actually, the Word of Wisdom is only a small part of the revealed truth relative to health and the use of food and drink. For instance, months before the Word of Wisdom was revealed, the Lord said this to his saints: "The fulness of the earth is yours the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth; Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards; Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; Yea for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul. And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion." (D. & C. 59:16-20.)

When first given the Word of Wisdom was not a commandment, but it has since been made one. "Give heed to this Word of Wisdom," President Joseph F. Smith said. "It has given unto us `not by commandment'; but by the word of President Brigham Young, it was made a commandment unto the saints. (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed., p. 365.) The Prophet himself gave this decision: "No official member in this Church is worthy to hold an office after having the Word of Wisdom properly taught him, and he, the official member, neglecting to comply with and obey it." (Teachings, p. 117.)

Obedience to this divine law brings many temporal and spiritual blessings. Physical well-being and increased temporal prosperity are among the temporal advantages. In the spiritual field, those who observe this law "shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures." (D. & C. 89:18.) In other words, through the cleanliness resulting from keeping this law of health, and by "walking in obedience to the commandments" (D. & C. 89:18), the saints will qualify for the companionship of the Holy Spirit, with great spiritual endowments coming as a result thereof. (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed., pp. 365-368.)

(See "Run and Not Be Weary" by Elder L. Tom Perry; Daily Living home page; Attitudes Toward Health, Medicine, and Fitness home page)