Effects of Ramadan fasting on the diurnal variations of physical and cognitive performances at rest and after exercise in professional football players

Abstract

IntroductionRamadan fasting (RF) is characterized by daily abstinence from food and fluid intake from dawn to sunset. The understanding of the Ramadan effects on the diurnal variations of athletic and cognitive performance is crucial for practitioners, coach and researchers to prepare sport events and optimize performance. The aim of the present study was to reveal the effects of RF on the diurnal variation of physical and cognitive performances at rest and after exercise.MethodIn a randomized order, 11 male football players (age: 19.27 ± 0.9; height: 1.79 ± 0.04 cm; body mass: 70.49 ± 3.97 kg; BMI: 21.81 ± 1.59 kg/m2) completed a 30-s Wingate test [i.e., mean (MP) and peak powers (PP)] at 07:00, 17:00, and 21:00 h on five occasions: 1 week before Ramadan (BR); the second (R2); the third (R3); the fourth (R4) week of Ramadan; and 2 weeks after Ramadan (AR), with an in-between recovery period of ≥72 h. Simple (SRT) and choice (CRT) reaction times, mental rotation test (MRT) and selective attention (SA) test were measured before and after Wingate test. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE), body composition, dietary intake, profile of mood states (POMS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were assessed over the five periods.ResultsCompared to BR, RF decreased MP at 17:00 h (p < 0.05, d = 1.18; p < 0.001, d = 2.21, respectively) and PP at 17:00 h (p < 0.05, d = 1.14; p < 0.001, d = 1.77, respectively) and 21:00 h (p < 0.01, d = 1.30; p < 0.001, d = 2.05, respectively) at R3 and R4. SRT (p < 0.001,d = 1.15; d = 1.32, respectively), number of correct answers (MRTE; p < 0.05, d = 1.27; d = 1.38, respectively) and SA (p < 0.01, d = 1.32; d = 1.64, respectively) increased during R2 and R3 in the evening before exercise compared to BR. Short term maximal exercise enhanced SRT (p < 0.01, d = 1.15; p < 0.001, d = 1.35, respectively), MRTE (p < 0.001, d = 2.01; d = 2.75 respectively) and SA (p < 0.05, d = 0.68; d = 1.18, respectively) during R2 and R3 in the evening. In comparison to BR, sleep latency and sleep duration increased during R3 (p < 0.001, d = 1.29; d = 1.74, respectively) and R4 (p < 0.001, d = 1.78; d = 2.19, respectively) and sleep quality increased in R2, R3 and R4 (p < 0.01, d = 1.60; p < 0.001, d = 1.93; d = 2.03, respectively).ConclusionDuring RF, anaerobic and cognitive performances were unaffected in the morning but were impaired in the afternoon and evening. Short-term maximal exercise mitigates the negative effects of fasting on cognitive performance. Maximal exercise could thus partially counteract the effect of fasting on cognitive function.

The effect of last meal “Suhoor” timing on diurnal variations in cognitive performance during Ramadan fasting among female athletes

“…Cognitive performance seems to be time of day dependent, with significant increasing values from morning to afternoon, followed by a decrease during noon sessions. These findings are in agreement with previous studies revealing that time of day and task type could impact cognitive performance, with better performance recorded during afternoon sessions ( 41 , 42 ) for attention ( 43 , 44 ) and memory ( 45 ), executive control and processing speed ( 24 , 46 ), vigilance ( 10 , 24 , 46 ), and executive functions ( 47 ). Conversely, other studies ( 48 , 49 ) have reported that cognitive performance is better in the morning than in the afternoon.…”

“…The daily variations in SRT, CRT, ATT, and MRT errors were reversed and/or blunted and/or disappeared toward the end of Ramadan month, mainly due to a decrease in afternoon performance. These findings are consistent with those of Bougrine et al ( 10 ) and Khemila et al ( 44 ), who reported a decrease or reversal in the diurnal variation of cognitive performance, such as SRT and attention tasks during Ramadan, primarily due to impaired afternoon performance.…”

“…However, this decline was not observed in the morning compared to before Ramadan (PR) or after Ramadan (AR). These results align with previous findings that have shown a negative effect of RIF on reaction time processing speed ( 18 , 44 ), attention ( 10 , 44 , 52 ), vigilance ( 18 ) and simple reaction time ( 10 , 44 ). However, other studies have not identified any alterations in cognitive abilities during RIF in terms of simple reaction time ( 53 , 54 ), choice reaction time ( 54 , 55 ), vigilance ( 56 ), or attention ( 52 , 57 , 58 ).…”

“…Regarding the effect of Ramadan on daily variation, limited research has been conducted on the influence of Ramadan Intermittent Fasting (RIF) on daily fluctuations in cognitive performance ( 10 , 44 ). However, our data revealed that this daily fluctuation in cognitive performance was affected by RIF.…”

Ramadan Fasting and Short-Term Maximal Physical Performance: Searching for Optimal Timing of the Last Meal “Suhoor” in Female Pre-University Handball Players

“…The values for α and power were set to 0.05 and 0.95, respectively. Effect sizes have been estimated to be 0.39 based on studies with identical methodologies [14,43] and discussions among the authors. To reach the desired power, data from at least 16 participants was considered sufficient to minimize the risk of incurring the probability of a type 2 statistical error.…”