Your Health During Ramadan

Ramadan, the muslims holy month during which they fast from dawn to sunset everyday of these thirty blessed days. Over one billion Muslims all over the world observe total fasting during this period including food and drink fasting together with staying away from sex and smoking.



This pattern of fasting has its great health-related benefits including weight management, rest for the digestive system and lowering lipids relatively, as well as possible impacts on certain medical conditions which can be avoided by simple precautions

The physiological effect of fasting itself includes lowering of blood sugar, lowering of cholesterol as well as the blood pressure but remember whether you can benefit from these virtues or not depends on your breakfast meal at sunset. There are psychological effects of fasting as well, such as peace and tranquility due to both pattern of fasting and associated prayer, charity and reading Quran during this month. Excessive food intake, unbalanced diet, and insufficient sleep can make health problems emerge. Ultimately, such a lifestyle contradicts the essential requirements and spirit of Ramadan.



A study conducted in 1997 on 32 healthy volunteers, monitoring significant decrease in serum total cholesterol 7.9% and a type of ratherly harmful body fat (triglycerides) 30 % during Ramadan as compared with the pre-fasting period. By the end of Ramadan , serum HDL cholesterol (the so called good cholesterol) which is essential for many body functions had markedly increased 14.3% and remained elevated one month after, while LDL cholesterol level (also called bad cholesterol since it is the type of cholesterol that increases risk of loss of elasticity of blood vessels (atherosclerosis) and thrombus formation) showed a significant decrease 11.7% and also maintained one month after.



Studies done on islamic fasting have proven that it does not cause malnutrition since there is no restriction to certain types of food. So, fasting person can receive an adequate balanced diet throughout the month regarding caloric intake and nutritive value. More over Ramadan is an ideal time for normalizing body weight as well as quitting smoking as it represents a new setup for a better metabolism. The lipostat,a center in the brain which controls the body mass needs slow, self-controlled and gradual treating so it may re-set and this can hopefully be achieved in Ramadan. On the other hand, complaining from overweight after this month is a major problem that cannot be denied.



Fasting decrease blood glucose level, hence diabetic patients on insulin or on oral drugs that decrease blood glucose are at risk of attacks of severe lack of glucose(hypoglycemic attack) characterized by dizziness, sweating, and is explained by the fact that the night dose works on decreasing blood glucose and since the patient does not receive breakfast it keeps decreasing & might be lethal. Generally diabetes mellitus, type II which is non-insulin dependant type that can be treated by oral drugs, is manageable through proper diet during Ramadan. Fasting can be done safely if you are on oral medications to control your diabetes. It is recommended to see a registered dietitian who can help doing this in a safe manner and make sure patients are well hydrated. Let your physician and/or diabetes educator a (choice which is starting now to be available in Egypt) know that you intend to do this. Patients should be ready to discontinue fasting on occurrence of such symptoms. In order to be able of fasting, they should revise their condition with their specialist to adjust the insulin dosage and timing, the oral drugs diet and exercise each according to individual conditions. In general during fasting daytime a diabetic patient should have something sugary at reach while after iftar vice versa i.e. avoiding sugary meals is advisable. Frequent monitoring by urine screening strips or blood monitoring strips is mandatory.



Good diabetes management consists of a combination of healthy exercise, healthy eating, monitoring blood glucose and, if necessary, medication. Please consult with your healthcare professional to develop a health management program that will work best for you.



Blood pressure (BP) variations during Ramadan, a study done by a group of researchers in 1998, included 100 persons along 3 years with average age 56 (22-72).



BP measurement before the fast and during Ramadan revelaed that in essential hypertension patient without complications, Ramadan fast is well tolerated. The variations of BP are minimal and related to the variations of sleep, activity and eating pattern not to the fasting itself- in contrast to diabetes.

Hypertensive patients are advised to follow low salt diet. Antihypertensive drugs can be taken at iftar and sohour. These two doses can be sufficient if properly adjusted to control blood pressure safely.




Burning sensation, heaviness in the stomach, and sour mouth are often exhibited during Ramadan as symptoms of increased gastric acidity. Dietary fiber sources such as wheat bread, vegetables, beans, and fruits trigger muscular action in the digestive system, mixing food and breaking food into small particles, binding "bile acids", that help fat digestion, opening the stomach/small intestine junction, thus, moving digesteed food into it. Hence, dietary fiber not only help reduces gastric acidity but also prevents constipation. It's strongly suggested that peptic ulcer patients avoid spicy foods and consult their doctor for appropriate medicine and diet. Some tips that may help you throughout the month:



* To avoid constipation: increase fibres intake ( eat more salad and vegetables).

* Caffeine and tobacco withdrawal causes headache & nausea: avoid this by decreasing your intake one to two weeks before Ramadan.

* To avoid stomach and intestinal increased acidity avoid too much fried or fatty food and add dietary fiber to your meal.

* To meet body's immediate need for easily avalable energy at iftar providing glucose for every living cell, particularly brain and nerve cells have dates and juices.

* (If you planning for a diet dont have dates but instead have fresh natural orange juice-no added sugar of course).

* Juice and soup help maintain water and mineral balance in the body so dont jump to the main dish without compensating these essential body needs.

* Drink sufficient water between Iftar and sohour to avoid dehydration on the next day.