Eating less and drinking less water during Ramadan puts health at risk. For this reason, people with many diseases should not fast. However, fasting can be beneficial for heart health if you eat regularly and healthily in iftar and sahur. Cardiology Specialist. Dr. Ayhan Küp suggested that fasting is beneficial for heart health, but that patients with heart disease should fast during Ramadan under the supervision of a doctor.
PATIENTS WITH RHYTHM DISORDERS CAN ALSO FAST
Speaking about fasting and heart health, Cardiology Uz. Dr. Ayhan Küp said, “If it is necessary to evaluate on a patient basis, patients with advanced heart failure as well as patients with more rhythm disorder diagnoses or fatal rhythm disorders may need to fast under the control of a doctor. But in general, patients with rhythm disorders can fast.”
THOSE WHO HAVE SOME DISEASES SHOULD NEVER FAST
Noting that fasting on hot and long summer days can cause problems for many patients, Küp said, “There are patients who die suddenly with a fatal rhythm disorder, which we call Brugada, and this is a genetically inherited disease. In these patients, these rhythm disorders can be triggered after a heavy meal. Patients who are suspected or diagnosed with Brugada should definitely not fast. Another group is Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic disease caused by thickening of the walls of the heart. In these patients, as the blood volume decreases due to long-term hunger or thirst, blood pressure may drop suddenly and may cause fainting. These patients should definitely not fast. Patients with rhythm disorders generally use drugs such as 2 times 1. In fact, these patients can easily take their medications during fasting. It doesn’t matter if someone is hungry or full after iftar and someone before sahur. In other words, they can easily take medications that require them to be full after iftar. But we recommend that our patients with very serious rhythm disorders, who are used 3 times a day, should not fast.” used the phrases.
LONG-TERM FASTER CAN REGULATORY HEART RHYTHM
Cardiology Specialist. Dr. Ayhan Küp continued, “Long-term hunger may cause improvement of heart rhythm rather than deterioration of heart rhythms. Since there is a decrease in sympathetic activity especially due to long-term hunger, we expect rhythm disturbances to decrease rather than increase in long-term fasting, especially since rhythm disorders occur with increased sympathetic activity. Palpitations are seen in roughly 3 to 5 percent of the population, and most of them can be controlled with simple lifestyle changes or some drug treatments. Our patients in this style can also fast comfortably. Even without going to a doctor, patients with severe heart failure and a serious rhythm disorder may need to get an expert opinion before fasting and fast after that. Apart from that, fasting also has positive effects on heart health. There are studies that increase good cholesterol and decrease bad cholesterol in the lipid profiles of patients due to long-term fasting. I think that it is beneficial to fast in Ramadan in general,” he said.