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10 HEALTH AND LABORATORY MAGAZINE

RAMADAN

FASTING BENEFICIAL

FOR BLOOD PRESSURE

Fasting during the month of Ramadan can have beneficial effects on blood
pressure independent of weight changes, fat mass and total body water.

The study sought to deter- LORANS STUDY SYSTEMATIC REVIEW systematic review, systolic largely in the healthy,
mine the health effects of BP was lower by 3.19 mm hypertension and diabetes
the drastic change in life- The London Ramadan The researchers then con- Hg (95% CI, –4.43 to –1.96; groups but not in patients
style that millions of people Study (LORANS) assessed ducted a systematic review I2 = 48%) and diastolic BP with chronic kidney dis-
undergo during Ramadan. the systolic and diastolic and meta-analysis of 32 by 2.26 mm Hg (95% CI, ease.
The publication consisted BP of 85 participants from additional studies from –3.19 to –1.34; I2 = 66%)
of a systematic review of April 25 to June 16, 2019, around the world to inves- after Ramadan. “Ramadan fasting appears
several previously con- before and immediately tigate Ramadan’s effects to have a beneficial effect
ducted studies, as well as a after Ramadan. The mean on systolic and diastolic BP The body undergoes a on BP independent of
longitudinal study conduct- age of the participants was outside of London. Among metabolic switch that weight, total body water
ed independently by the 46 years and 53% were the cohort of 3,213 partici- starts between 8 and 12 and fat mass,” Al-Jafar
researchers in London. men. The fasting time was pants, 23.3% were healthy, hours of fasting, when and colleagues wrote.
15.5 hours per day, and BP 55.5% had type 2 diabetes, the body switches from
“Although hundreds of was calculated three times 3.5% had hypertension and glucose to ketones for pro-
millions of Muslims practice in 30-second intervals 19.1% had chronic kidney ducing energy, resulting in
Ramadan fasting world- at each of the two visits disease. an insulin drop that lowers
wide, the effect of this ritual (before and after Rama- BP, the researchers wrote.
on health is not adequately dan), with the researchers “Although there were
studied,” Rami Al-Jafar, calculating the average of some previous reviews on According to the study,
MSPH, lecturer and PhD the three measurements. this topic, each of them lower BP was observed
candidate in epidemiology The researchers measured targeted studies on either
and biostatistics at Impe- fat percentage/mass, fat healthy individuals or a
rial College London, and free mass and total body specific disease group,”
colleagues wrote. “Blood water for each participant Al-Jafar and colleagues
pressure could be acutely and had participants fill out wrote. “Our meta-analysis
affected by such changes questionnaires to deter- covered studies on healthy
in dietary intake and timing, mine basic lifestyle choices. and nonhealthy individuals
physical activity and sleep and included subgroup
patterns, including among Results of LORANS found analysis. We included our
individuals with hyperten- that systolic BP after Ram- own study (LORANS) in
sion. Studies on the effect adan fasting was lower by which we recruited a multi-
of Ramadan fasting on 7.29 mm Hg (95% CI, –4.74 cultural community-based
blood pressure, however, to –9.84) and diastolic BP sample.”
are inconclusive.” was lower by 3.42 mm Hg
(95% CI, –1.73 to –5.09). Among participants in the