The Ethiopian Orthodox Christian (EOC) fasts, although adopted for religious purposes, combines aspects of energy restriction, time-restricted feeding, and a vegan dietary pattern, all of which have been independently associated with weight loss and healthier body composition. However, combined effect of these practices as part of EOC fast remains unknown. This longitudinal study design evaluated the effect of EOC fasting on body weight and body composition. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, physical activity level, and fasting regimen followed was captured through an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Weight and body composition measurements were taken before and at the end of major fasting seasons. Body composition parameters were measured by bioelectrical impedance (BIA), Tanita® BC-418®, Japan). Significant changes in body weight and body composition were observed for both fasts. Significant decreases in body weight (14/44 day fast: − 0.45; P = 0.004/− 0.65; P = 0.004), FFM (− 0.82; P = 0.002/− 0.41; P < 0.0001), and trunk fat mass (− 0.68; P < 0.0001/− 0.82; P < 0.0001) were observed after adjusting for covariates including age, sex, and physical activity. The EOC fasting regimen leads to significant reductions of body weight and compositions. Longer fasting duration led to much higher effects in body weight and body composition and may be non-pharmacological strategy in prevention or treatment of chronic diseases.
Background: Dietary pattern such as energy restriction, abstinence from animal products and consumption of vegetarian diet was seen in free living Ethiopian Orthodox followers. However, little is known about its effect on appetite hormones, insulin sensitivities and β-cell function of diabetic patients and healthy subjects. MethodA prospective cohort study design was conducted from February 27 to April 30, 2019 among 46 healthy subjects and 52 diabetic patients. Pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic characteristics, physical activities and information about fasting regime. Measurements were taken at two time points: at week 0 and week 8. ELISA analyzer were used for measuring hormones activities. The presence of any changes from the baseline was evaluated using the t-test, and the presence of any correlation was evaluated using multiple linear regression. Results: Vegan diet practice and energy restriction significantly lower body weight (p=0.004/0.041) and BMI (p=0.014/0.006), glucagon (p<0.0001, p=0.001), leptin (p=0.002, p=0.046 significantly changed in diabetic and healthy subject respectively. Insulin (p=0.002) increased significantly in diabetic patients while insulin (p=0.003) significantly decreased in healthy subjects. The concentration of ghrelin (p=0.030) increased significantly in diabetic but insignificantly (p=0.135) in healthy subjects compared to non-fasting. Insulin sensitivities and β-cell function significant improved in diabetic patients.Conclusion Simultaneous consumption of vegan diet and energy restriction in Lenten fasting improved body weight, BMI, blood pressure, activities of appetite hormones, insulin sensitivities and β-cell function. As a result, fasting practice is recommended as effective non-medicinal treatment option for prevention/treatment of chronic diseases.
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