The Effect Of Ramadan Fasting On Health Conditions

Despite the numerous benefits of Ramadan fasting, there are certain conditions that might be negatively affected by it, so in this case, a person shouldn’t fast so the condition doesn’t get worse and cause serious complications.

Ramadan fasting and diabetes

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic health conditions, and it has two main types: type 1 diabetes, in which the body doesn’t produce insulin at all and its only treatment is insulin, and type 2 diabetes, in which the cells don’t respond correctly to insulin or the body doesn’t produce enough insulin, and its treatment is oral antidiabetics and insulin in certain cases.

Insulin is normally stimulated when eating, and its work is to insert glucose into the cells to produce energy for their work, in addition to storing the excess glucose in the form of glycogen in the liver and muscles. During fasting, glucose levels decrease, and therefore, the secretion of insulin decreases as well. At the same time, the levels of other hormones increase to stimulate the breakdown of glycogen in order to provide the body with the required energy. As fasting hours go on, fatty acids start releasing from the fat cells, and then oxidation is done for them to form ketones that are also used as a source of energy. In nondiabetic people, this operation is balanced between insulin and the other hormones, while in diabetic patients, the balance of glucose is disrupted depending on the disorder type and the medications that the patient takes, as they might have serious complications, which are hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, and dehydration and thrombosis.

Hypoglycemia

Blood sugar normally decreases during fasting due to the lack of food, and the danger lies in the case of severe hypoglycemia that might lead to severe complications, especially in patients with type 1 diabetes, as hypoglycemia is responsible for 2-4% of deaths among them. It has been observed that low blood sugar increases in diabetic patients throughout the fasting hours with different rates between the two types.

Hyperglycemia

High blood sugar mostly occurs due to overeating in the feasting hours, and it can also occur as a result of the reduced doses of medications to prevent hypoglycemia.

Diabetic ketoacidosis

This condition occurs when fats start to breakdown to provide the body with energy, which causes the ketones to release in the bloodstream, and in case of the buildup of huge amounts of ketones, then ketoacidosis occurs, and it’s a life-threatening condition.

Dehydration and thrombosis

Dehydration occurs due to not drinking enough fluids, and the risk of this condition increases during fasting in case of hot weather and not drinking enough water during the feasting hours. Moreover, dehydration might increase the blood viscosity, which, in turn, might lead to thrombosis.

Ramadan fasting and pregnancy

Generally, in pregnancy, insulin resistance (the cells don’t respond correctly to insulin) increases and its secretion decreases; therefore, pregnant women are advised to not fast because it might affect the mother and the fetus, especially if the pregnant woman has gestational diabetes (a diabetes condition that manifests during pregnancy and wears off after it’s done, but it might develop and become a continuous diabetes condition).

If the pregnant woman insists on fasting, this must be done under strict medical supervision.

Ramadan fasting and liver disease

There are certain liver conditions that their patients are advised to fast for, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and other conditions that their patients are advised to not fast for, such as hepatitis C, liver cirrhosis, and peptic ulcer.