Ramadan is a sacred period during which practitioners fast from sunrise to sunset. Does this religious tradition have health benefits? What effects on the body? The brain ? Does it also involve risks?
the Ramadan 2023 will begin at the end of March and will last for a month until mid-April. This period of daytime fasting has many effects on the body. Review with our experts.
What are the effects of Ramadan on the body?
The body enters a fasting state about 8 hours after the last meal because this is the moment when intestines finish absorbing nutrients from food. The body then begins to draw energy from glucose stored in the liver and muscles, then it attacks fat once the glucose reserves are exhausted.
► The first 5 days of fasting: To supply glucose to the brain, a gluconeogenesis mechanism is set up: the glucose is mainly synthesized from the amino acids of proteins muscle.
► From about the 5th day ; the fatty acids produced are either oxidized directly or transformed into ketone bodies. The concentration of ketone bodies increases. Ketone bodies can be used by the brain which decreases glucose requirements. The fatty acids and ketone bodies thus become the main source of energy instead of protein.
If fasting is well supported, it can be beneficial but the first days of Ramadan, it is not impossible that this sugar drop in the blood causes a lethargic state. You must then have good nutrition, good hydration and limiting physical expenditure.
What are the effects of Ramadan on the brain?
Hunger breeds production of acetone by the brain which stimulates and promotes cognitive faculties. The feeling of hunger can thus disappear after a few days of fasting and then appears a print of “lightness“. Therapeutic fasting has already been proposed and used to relieve certain mental illnesses such as obsessive-compulsive disorders in Russia, Germany or the United States, recalls Inserm.
What are the health benefits of Ramadan?
Even though the Ramadan fast is long, the fasting period and the eating period are more or less the same. “Ultimately, our rhythm is simply reversedit’s like eating at night and sleeping during the day“, emphasizes Léa Lang, nutritionist. Ramadan can have benefits for our health: “The young slows down the digestion processlittle by little the body cleanses itself and removes bad sugars“. For this, the ideal is to eat, when breaking the fast, balanced meals like on a normal day. “We should have a diet low in sugar and remember to stay hydrated“, advises the nutritionist.
What are the side effects or harms of Ramadan?
The energy used during the day is much greater than that used at night. At night, the functioning of the body slows down. “If we eat too fat, too sweet, too salty, our body makes big stocks which will have an influence on digestion and weight gain. We can also lack certain minerals and thus develop deficiencies“. Poor diet and poor hydration can also lead to bad breath, nausea, headache, general weakness.
What are the health risks of Ramadan?
According to Lea Lang, the risks during Ramadan are limited because practitioners feed themselves anyway. “Fasts that last more than 12 hours or up to 24 hours are more risky“, she assures. On the other hand, the people with chronic diseases, diabetes, pregnant or breastfeeding women or the elderly are more fragile and may be more at risk of making discomfort.
Thanks to Léa Lang, nutritionist.
Source: Evaluation of the effectiveness of the practice of fasting as a practice for preventive or therapeutic purposes, Inserm report, January 10, 2014