/ 11 September 2008

Good for the soul, bad for the waistline

Fasting may be good for your soul, but an expert says it may not be so good for your waistline.

Fasting may be good for your soul, but an expert says it may not be so good for your waistline. In particular, the fast-and-feast cycle which tends to characterise the Islamic holy month of Ramadan may lead to weight gain.

Ramadan began on Monday last week, the first new moon in the ninth lunar month of the Islamic calendar. The custom of fasting from sunrise to sundown — 5am to 6pm in South Africa this year — started in 623 AD. Sex and smoking are also forbidden during these hours.

One of the five pillars of Islam, it marks the period during which the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed and Satan was locked in hell. The first 10 days bring Allah’s mercy, the second 10 Allah’s forgiveness and the final 10 emancipation from hellfire, says the website Islamic Voice.

According to Derick Raal, professor of endocrinology at Wits University, the dangers of fasting for 13 hours at a time are almost non-existent, providing fasters are healthy. Humans can live healthily on one meal a day, as their ancestors probably did.

Ramadan’s daily “feast-famine” cycle results in changes in the composition and levels of cholesterol in the blood, but healthy people should manage to keep blood sugar levels within very narrow boundaries.

The problem, Raal said, comes at sundown for those who break the day’s fast with binge eating, especially of sugary and fatty foods. Even for healthy Muslims this carries some risk — of expanded waistlines.

More serious problems can occur if people have underlying health problems which can be triggered by fasting — most obviously, undiagnosed diabetes.

The duty to fast is lifted for the very young, old and those who could endanger their health. However, some diabetics who can monitor their blood sugar levels adjust their medication to take part.