Effects of Ramadan fasting on serum lipid profile

Ramadan is the ninth month in the lunar Islamic calendar and lasts for about 29-30 days. It is mandatory for all adult individuals of the Islamic faith to fast during the holy month of Ramadan. During this period, healthy Muslims do not eat or drink (i.e., total abstinence from food and fluids) and refrain from tobacco, daily from pre-dawn until dusk (21). Very few studies in the recent years have been conducted on this subject and for primary care physicians, it is of great help in understanding the physiological changes that occur in various populations with different rituals in Muslims.

The present study included healthy adult male Muslim volunteers from different mosques in and around Jammu city. The number of subjects in the study was 100. Blood samples from all 100 subjects were collected twice during the study-once in the week prior to the beginning of Ramadan and then again in the last week of Ramadan (from 98 subjects as 2 subjects opted out). Following biochemical parameters were taken into consideration: (a) Serum total cholesterol (b) Serum triglycerides (c) Serum HDL cholesterol.

It was observed that compared to pre-fasting levels, total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) were significantly decreased (P = 0.000) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level had significantly increased (P = 0.000).

This study showed a reduction in total cholesterol and triglycerides along with a rise in levels of HDL-C, which had beneficial effects on lipid profile post Ramadan fasting period.