The Year in “Ramadan Fasting and Health” (2018): A Narrative Review

Abstract

Invited Review introduCtionRamadan fasting (RF) is practiced by adult Muslims during the 9 th lunar month every year. It entails that they abstain from eating and drinking between dawn and sunset. Medical and religious scholars got closer in their approach to advice given to patients based on objective risk assessment. [1] Muslim patients with acute or chronic medical conditions may be exempted from fasting; many do still choose to observe the fast sometimes against medical advice. This may adversely affect their health if not addressed properly by evidence-based recommendations. [2] There has been a tremendous recent interest in the health implications of RF. Keeping up with developments in this area may prove difficult, and hence, a narrative overview under a single cover may be particularly useful in presenting a digest of the research and expert opinion in the year. [3] Our previous review of the literature published in 2017 was the most viewed Introduction: There has been an increased interest in health implications of Ramadan fasting (RF). Materials and Methods: This is a narrative, nonsystematic review of the literature including all relevant full articles in English in three electronic databases (Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar). The search term "Ramadan fasting" was used to identify the relevant records to provide a readily comprehensible concise account of the contributions made to research and clinical practice in 1 year (2018). Results: The publications spanned basic, clinical, ethical, professional, and cultural and advocacy facets of the subject. The publications crossed the conventional disciplinary lines and geographical locations and appeared in journals with varying systems of access. Only full-text research articles in English were reviewed. Review articles, news, note items, and correspondence were not included. No formal bibliometric analysis is presented. Emerging concepts are presented under the relevant subheading depending on the available literature. Impact of RF on diabetes control, pregnancy outcome and fetal life, and sports and athletes' well-being received somewhat more prominent coverage by research work published in 2018. Renovascular disease, and risk factors, posttransplant care, and some metabolic concerns for patients with hepatic, renal, and metabolic conditions were covered too. Patterns of use of emergency services during Ramadan and features of some specific medical emergencies were examined by some workers. Most interesting perhaps was the greater focus on documenting the perception, attitudes, and practices of both patients and healthcare professions regarding deciding and acting during Ramadan. Isolated research reports addressed subjects of wide nature from body composition and energy metabolism to smoking, law, music, and history. Conclusions: The volume of scholarly work on Ramadan fasting and health remains modest. Greater improvements in both quality and quantity of research on Ramadan are needed. Most studies indicate that Ramadan fasting is safe in mild and st...

Ramadan and Diabetes: A Narrative Review and Practice Update

“…A narrative literature review of all peer-reviewed publications looking at the health implications of Ramadan fasting was undertaken in 2018 [53]. The majority of studies reviewed suggested that under normal circumstances, Ramadan fasting was safe for persons with mild and stable medical conditions.…”

Considering intermittent fasting among Saudis: insights into practices

“…The questionnaire consisted of 22 close-ended questions (Additional file 1 ) that encompassed the following determinants and was developed in compliance with the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES) guidelines [ 10 , 36 ] and the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines [ 37 ]: Demographic characteristics (age, sex, residency, education, employment status, weight, height and medical diagnoses) Intermittent fasting practices (patterns of intermittent fasting, type of food) The effect of fasting on a person’s state of health (post-fasting portion sizes, weight loss, hunger, health status, physical symptoms) Fasting goals (cause and duration of the practice, plans, sources of knowledge about intermittent fasting, resources on intermittent fasting) Use of technology in fasting (name of the app if applicable) …”

“…Furthermore, the majority of the research on intermittent fasting based in Muslim countries has been limited to the study of the physiological effects of fasting during Ramadan, for example, the effect of fasting during Ramadan on diabetes treatment [ 10 , 13 , 14 ], cardiovascular disease [ 1 , 15 , 16 ], body weight [ 17 – 19 ], athletic performance [ 20 – 22 ] and sleep [ 23 ].…”

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