18 March 2024 , 07:00
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Billions of Muslims worldwide are taking part in Ramadan this month, and health professionals say fasting during this time could come with some serious health benefits.
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, and it marks a period of intense spiritual rejuvenation with a heightened focus on devotion. This year, Ramadan began on March 11 and will end on April 9, and during this time, Muslims will spend extra time reading the Qur'an and performing special prayers.
Many will also take part in a fast, which means they must abstain from food and drink, including water, from sunrise until sunset. Each day begins with a meal called Suhoor, which must be eaten before sunrise, and the fast is then broken at sunset with a meal known as Iftar.
Fasting as part of Ramadan is a spiritual discipline that many people use as a way to empathise with those less fortunate, but according to health professionals, there could also be some health benefits to the process. The Mirror spoke exclusively to Dr Shireen Kassam, a nutrition specialist and founder of Plant Based Health Professionals UK, to find out what benefits those fasting this month can expect to see.
According to Dr Kassam, there is evidence to suggest that fasting could have a number of health benefits, including lower blood pressure, improved immune health, and improved blood lipid levels. However, the expert - who is observing Ramadan herself - insisted that people are unlikely to see any "long-term benefits" unless they make dietary changes after their fast.
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She explained: "There is some evidence to suggest periods of fasting may lead to better immune health, lower levels of inflammation and growth factors, and improve blood lipid levels and blood pressure.
"Fasting results in beneficial changes to the types of bacteria residing in the gut and this is thought to be one of the reasons for the wide range of short-term benefits seen. However, if outside of the periods of fasting you are not consuming a fibre-rich, gut-healthy diet, it is unlikely that there will be any long-term benefits to health."
One of the most expected benefits of fasting is weight loss, as your body is taking in less calories day-to-day than it usually would without time-restricted eating. But Dr Kassam warns that if you want to lose weight, you'll need to keep up a healthy eating plan after Ramadan - or else you'll put the weight back on again.
"On a basic level, fasting usually results in a reduction in the number of calories you are consuming in a day and so for some people it can be easier to lose excess body weight when fasting is incorporated into a weight loss regimen," she detailed, "Many people do experience weight loss for this reason during the month of Ramadan, but this weight can easily be put back on again after Ramadan unless significant changes to a person's way of eating is continued."
Dr Kassam also issued "caution" to those who are already at a lower body weight or underweight, as losing weight during a fast "may not be healthy". In general, the health expert urged people not to use fasting to "make up for unhealthy habits", and said people will see much better results with their overall health by making positive changes - such as getting regular exercise and eating well - "regardless of whether you decide to fast or not".
If you are observing Ramadan this month and wish to make healthy changes to the foods you eat outside of fasting hours, then Dr Kassam recommends trying to swap meat for beans or tofu, using whole grains instead of refined grains, and leaving out sweets in favour of fresh or dried fruit.