Ramadan fasting in health and disease (2020): A narrative review

Abstract

The medical literature on health aspects of Ramadan fasting (RF) is widely spread in many journals of varying access, making it less readily available to those interested in the subject. We performed a nonsystematic review of the international literature from a major online database (PubMed in 1 year [2020]). The search term “Ramadan fasting” was used, and relevant literature was narrated in a concise thematic account excluding diabetes. The publications spanned fundamental, clinical, ethical, professional, cultural, and advocacy facets. The publications predictably crossed the conventional disciplinary lines and geographical locations and appeared in journals with different access systems. The contents are presented under the emerged themes depending on the retrieved literature. This year, the basic coverage included changes in physiology, nutrition during Ramadan. However, the clinical issues included a more comprehensive range such as the impact of RF on the liver and gut, and endocrine conditions such as hypothyroidism and adrenal insufficiency. Coverage also included chronic kidney disease, maternal health and fetal well-being, cardiovascular medicine, nature and function of eyes, and neurological conditions, especially epilepsy. Sports medicine and athletes' well-being received somewhat prominent coverage. Other researchers focused on documenting patients' and health-care professionals' perceptions, attitudes, and practices during Ramadan. Health aspects of RF received a sustained academic interest with a broad spectrum in 2020. This narrative provides a scoping overview to help researchers and clinicians catch up quickly with state-of-the-art science today.

The Impact Of Ramadan Fasting On Adrenal Hormones And Cholesterol Among Healthy Iraqi Students

“…The impact of Ramadan fasting on adrenal hormones was examined in this study, which is the first to examine, according to the previous studies [8,9,10] , how Ramadan fasting affects adrenal hormones in healthy subjects. Ramadan fasting causes changes to the frequency, timing, and makeup of meals during the night, as well as sleep patterns.…”

“…In general, the effects of Ramadan fasting on diabetic patients, pregnant women, and body composition of diabetic patients were the frequently reported topics (between 2010 and 2021) [9] . A review of the study on how Ramadan Fasting affects several aspects in 2022 was published by Hafidh et al [10] . Few studies have been conducted on the impact of Ramadan fasting on patients with adrenal insufficiency and its management [11,12] .…”

Sigmoid volvulus and concomitant clinical entities

“…[27] Overeating following a prolonged starvation period such as Ramadan fasting may cause a rapid transportation of a bulky content into intestines, which may force the sigmoid colon to twist. [2,8,28,29] There are rare case reports about SV and inflammatory bowel diseases. [30,31] Mittal et al [30] presented an adolescent girl, whereas Katsanos et al [31] presented an elderly woman with SV as a rare complication of ulcerative colitis.…”

“…Overeating following a prolonged starvation period such as Ramadan fasting may cause a rapid transportation of a bulky content into intestines, which may force the sigmoid colon to twist. [2,8,28,29]…”

Comments on ‘The Role of Ramadan Fasting on Intestinal Volvulus and Knotting’

“…We read the article written by Hafidh at al 1 on the effects of Ramadan fasting on human health. Among the discussed subjects, our comments relate to the effects of fasting on sigmoid volvulus (SV) and ileosigmoid knotting (ISK) based on our 57-year (from June 1966 to July 2023) experience including 1,071 SV patients, the most comprehensive monocenter SV data over the world, and 80 ISK cases, one of the most extensive worldwide ISK series.…”