Ramadan is a valuable opportunity to acquire good health habits and quit bad ones. However, in this report by SADE OGUNTOLA, experts caution on how to ensure healthy Ramadan fast.
For Muslims around the world, fasting, widely renowned for its spiritual and physical benefits, is central to the holy month of Ramadan.
Abstaining from food and water from dawn to dusk and at the same time trying to keep calm, polite and productive despite the battle between the stomach, throat, and brain is a challenge.
Each year, much of the Islamic media covers the benefits of fasting during Ramadan, and the hazards for sick people if they try to do without food. But does it benefit those in good health, or is it merely a religious practice that has nothing to do with one’s well-being?
“Among the group of people that we are usually concerned about during Ramadan fast are those with diabetes and ulcers. They are supposed to fast based on the advice of their doctors,” said Dr Idris Fasasi, Vice president, Nigeria Medical Association, Oyo State branch.
Although they may be in good health, he said they require professional advice before making any changes to their diet and medication regimes to prevent possible complications during the fasting period.
“For instance, while many diabetics can safely fast, modifications to diet, exercise, and medication routines are often required,” he added.
For many, Ramadan poses the challenge of the inability to take medications during the day, dehydration and other somatic changes that necessitate dosing modification changes. The modifications can affect the medicine’s efficacy and the appearance of side effects.
He declared that the severity of long-lasting diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and even asthma will also determine if their doctor will advise them against participating in Ramadan fast.
Also, other dos and don’ts of their medical conditions, he said they must continue to maintain to remain healthy.
He added: “Patients with hypertension, for instance, are expected to continue to take a low salt diet. They will still continue to take their medications for hypertension and so on. This not only about Ramadan fast, there are other fasting times both in the Islam and Christianity.”
Dr Bolaji Lateef Salako, a senior registrar at the Radiation Oncology Department, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan said although the Koran says that those unwell or on doctor’s advice can abstain from Ramadan fast, cancer survivors or those that have completed their treatment can partake of the fast if they so desire and their body can cope.
However, Dr Salako warned that during the fast, persons with diabetes and other chronic conditions such as hypertension need to be monitored closely.
Even where the individual had to suspend his fast due to ill health, say too low a blood sugar, he said the Koran gave them the opportunity to continue the fast after the month of Ramadan, when they are well and out of danger. They can also compensate for a missed fast by paying for someone to be fed.
Moreover, he added that Muslims who are unwell, travelling, elderly, pregnant, breastfeeding, children or menstruating are excused by Islamic law.
President, Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Oyo State branch, Dr Hannah Adegbola-Dada, accepting that fasting is good said, where individuals with stomach ulcer embark on a prolonged fast, it can worsen their conditions.
She said, there had been an instance that a supposedly healed ulcer patient start to experience a burning feeling in their stomach after a prolonged period of fast.
“If they continue, it could land them in the hospital, where they will end up spending more money to take care of their health. This is not advisable.
“That is why such persons are expected to quickly take a fruit to initially cool the burning feeling and then later eat. If they rush to eat solid or hard food, it sometimes can cause more pain,” she added.
Much as fasting is good, she counselled that persons with chronic medical conditions like diabetes, asthma, and hypertension need to study their body and be cautious that they do nothing that will jeopardise their health in any way.
She declared: “Fast is good. But you have to be cautious not to cause another problem for yourself. When it is having an adverse effect on your health, please stop.”
Ramadan is a valuable opportunity to acquire good health habits and quit bad habits. For instance, it can be used to give up smoking gradually and not to return to it.
Moreover, fasting can help to boost body metabolism and promote weight loss, improve cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure and help cell recycling among many others.
While there is no danger to healthy people who fast during Ramadan, many people still feel sluggish without regular food. Research has also linked the lack of food and water to increased irritability, changes in mood, and a lack of concentration.
Conversely, during Ramadan, even persons without mental disorders have reported irritability, nausea, headache, decreased sleep, difficulty concentrating, and anxiety, especially in the early days of Ramadan.
In patients with bipolar disorder, one study described a high rate of breakthrough manic or depressive episodes during Ramadan, despite stable lithium levels. Fasting-related changes in circadian rhythms(body clock) and insomnia are thought to contribute to psychiatric symptom exacerbation.
How to fast safely during Ramadan
- Approach diet during fasting similarly to the way you eat outside Ramadan.
- Have a balanced diet. Don’t break the fast with spicy foods, it can cause heartburn
- Avoid eating food during the pre-dawn and dusk meals that can cause some weight gain.
- Avoid caffeine-based drinks such as tea, coffee, and cola. Caffeine is a diuretic and stimulates faster water loss through urination.
- Start by drinking plenty of water, which helps rehydration and reduces the chances of overindulgence in food.
- Staying well hydrated and eating sources of fibre will help prevent constipation in Ramadan.
- Dates are good to break the fast with.
- Do not start a new workout regime while you are fasting.
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