FASTING IN RAMADAN HAS THESE 9 HEALTH BENEFITS
FASTING IN RAMADAN HAS THESE 9 HEALTH BENEFITS
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| HEALTH BENEFITS OF FASTING |
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Does fasting in Ramadan have health benefits?
Does fasting in Ramadan have a detrimental effect on your health?
How is your health affected while fasting in Ramadan?
Does fasting in Ramadan have a detrimental effect on your health?
How is your health affected while fasting in Ramadan?
These are a few questions which people usually ask in relation to health effects of fasting in Ramadan.
Ramadan is the ninth Islamic month of the Muslim calendar. It involves abstaining from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual relations from dawn to sunset, in the hopes that it will lead to greater "taqwa", or consciousness of God.
The holy month of Ramadan (=Ramadhan) 2020 will begin on the evening of 23rd or 24th of April, depending upon the visibility of moon.
Are you worried that fasting might degrade your health?
Check out these 9 health benefits of fasting in Ramadan:
Various independent studies have shown that after fasting for a month in Ramadan, the lipid profile was found to be better in the volunteers, with reduction in cholesterol and triglyceride levels in their blood. Improved lipid profile directly reduces the risk of heart diseases, including a heart attack, or a stroke.
However, this health benefit is not inherent to fasting itself. That is, if you do not eat proper diet at suhoor (pre-dawn meal) and iftar, this health benefit gets neutralized.
So, eat a balanced nutritious diet before and after observing the fast on each day of Ramadan. Try to convert this dietary improvement from temporary into permanent, covering the rest of the year too. You can read all about these here.
Ramadan won't necessarily cause weight loss. Rather than eating a feast and gorging on sweets and fatty foods as soon as the sun goes down and the fast ends, people following Ramandan can just eat a healthy evening meal consisting of soup, fresh bread, dates and goat cheese. These are traditional foods eaten in Ramadan anyway, but without the added sugars and sauces, they can be slimming.
Ramadan is a month of self-regulation and self training, with the hope that this training will last beyond the end of Ramadan. If the lessons learned during Ramadan, whether in terms of dietary intake or righteousness, are carried on after Ramadan, there effects will be long lasting.
A study from Jordan showed that in 60 healthy Muslim volunteers, that body weight decreased significantly at the end of fasting. A recent study reported that body weight, BMI and body fat had a significant reduction in 3rd week of Ramadan in comparison with 1 week before or after Ramadan fasting.
When you spend long hours without eating, your blood sugar goes down. According to Dr. Razeen Mahroof in an August, 2010 article for "Arab News," your body uses up stored glucose for energy when you're fasting. People with diabetes should talk to their doctors before fasting for long periods of time, but those with high blood sugar -- but no diabetes -- will benefit from the process.
In normal individuals, there is a slight fall in average blood glucose levels in the first few days of Ramadan fasting followed by normalization by about the 20th day, and a relatively slight increase subsequently, but all these variations are well within the normal physiological range.
Patients with type 1 (Insulin-Dependent) diabetes are advised not to observe fast during Ramadan. Hyperglycemia can occur in persons who are negligent about their medications and indulge in over-eating in the hours after or before the stipulated fasting period. Checking blood glucose through finger prick does not invalidate fasting state. So patients are encouraged to check blood glucose periodically. If blood sugar levels are low and patient experiencing signs/symptoms of hypoglycemia, it is advisable that fast is broken immediately.
To know more about how to keep fast safely during Ramadan if you have diabetes, read :
DIABETES: TIPS FOR SAFE FASTING DURING RAMADAN
To know more about how to keep fast safely during Ramadan if you have diabetes, read :
DIABETES: TIPS FOR SAFE FASTING DURING RAMADAN
Because you will be fasting during the day, Ramadan is the perfect time to ditch your bad habits for good. Vices such as smoking and sugary foods should not be indulged during Ramadan, and as you abstain from them your body will gradually acclimatise to their absence, until your addiction is kicked for good.
It’s also much easier to quit habits when you do so in a group, which should be easy to find during Ramadan. Fasting’s ability to help you cut out bad habits is so significant that the UK’s National Health Service recommends it as the ideal time to ditch smoking.
If you're used to eating lots of sugary foods in your day-to-day life, Ramadan could also be a good time to break the habit. As the sun goes down, you can choose to feed your body foods that are converted into glucose slowly -- such as whole grains and other high-fiber foods -- rather than going for sweets again. This change has a double benefit. The most obvious one is that you will be eating healthier foods that are richer in nutrients and lower in calories. The other benefit is that you will be less hungry during the day, when you're fasting. Foods that take time to convert into glucose will keep you energized for more hours and will help control cravings and hunger during the day.
Valter Longo, Professor of Gerontology and the Biological Sciences at University of Southern California (USC) found that fasting was able to regenerate one’s entire immune system. Fasting, he pointed out, is, therefore, beneficial for everyone but especially the elderly whose immune system degenerates with age.
Longo said, “When you starve (fast), the system tries to conserve energy, and one of the things it can do to save energy is to recycle a lot of the immune cells that are not needed, especially those that are old or damaged.” He pointed out that prolonged fasting forced the body to use stored glucose, fat, and ketones, but it also broke down a significant portion of white blood cells. Longo likened this to discarding a plane of excess cargo.
White blood cells are the workhorse cells of the immune system that defend the body against foreign invaders. In the bloodstream, there are about 600 red blood cells for every one white blood cell. Any reduction in white blood cells can, therefore, have a detrimental effect on the body because they are very important to fight infection.
During intermittent fasting in Ramadan, periods of abstinence from food and water brings down the white blood cell count temporarily, and with re-feeding at iftar, regenerative switch is flipped, triggering a stem cell based regeneration of new white blood cells.
As well as being great for spiritually cleansing yourself, Ramadan acts as a fantastic detox for your body. By not eating or drinking throughout the day your body will be offered the rare chance to detoxify your digestive system throughout the month.
When your body starts eating into fat reserves to create energy, it will also burn away any harmful toxins that might be present in fat deposits. This body cleanse will leave a healthy blank slate behind, and is the perfect stepping stone to a consistently healthy lifestyle.
However, during fasting in Ramadan increased gastric acidity is often noticed, exhibiting itself with symptoms such as a burning sensation in chest, heaviness in the stomach and a sour taste in mouth. Avoid eating spicy and fatty food to prevent this.
Psychological effects of Ramadan fasting are also well observed by the description of people who fast. The Holy Qur’an is a great source of guidance to humanity and nothing in it is without the objective of benefits.
Muslims believe that fasting is more than abstaining from food and drink. Fasting also includes abstaining from any falsehood in speech and action, abstaining from any ignorant and indecent speech, and from arguing, fighting, and having lustful thoughts. Therefore, fasting strengthens control of impulses and helps develop good behaviour. This purification of body and soul harmonizes the inner and outer spheres of an individual.
Fasting is believed to help promote chastity and humility and prevent sin, the outburst of uncontrolled lusts and desires and farfetched hopes. On a moral level, believers strive to attain the most virtuous characteristics and apply them to their daily situations.
Ramadan fasting encompasses direction to develop spiritual, moral and social values. It is the message of equality amongst the individuals of the society. The poor are given attention and benefit from charity and the faithful practise of the concept of neighbourhood and hospitality.
Muslims cannot consume alcohol and use smoke in any form during the month of Ramadan. Those people who are addicted to such habits, it is the best time for them to quit these habits, which are spoiling their health and wasting their money. Since they are restraining themselves from these habits for one month, they should continue to do so, for the rest of their life.
No doubt you’ll be aware of the positive effects fasting can have on your mental wellbeing and spiritual focus, but the brain-boosting powers of Ramadan are even more significant than you might think. A study carried out by scientists in the USA found that the mental focus achieved during Ramadan increases the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which causes the body to produce more brain cells, thus improving brain function.
Likewise, a distinct reduction in the amount of the hormone cortisol, produced by the adrenal gland, means that stress levels are greatly reduced both during and after Ramadan.
CONCLUSION:
It is completely in your own hands as to how healthy your Ramadan is going to be. If you strive for healthy habits in Ramadan and incorporate those in your daily routine, Insha-Allah you will be healthier than before.
Feel free to share your views and suggestions in the comments section.
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