Background: Regarding the high prevalence of diabetes mellitus among Iranian Muslims, and due to the importance of metabolic control in these patients and the existence of some vague and controversial information about the effect of fasting in diabetic patients, this study was designed to detect the effect of Ramadan fasting on some metabolic indices in diabetic patients.
Materials and methods: This is a quasi-experimental study. All of the patients with type 2 diabetes who wished to keep fasting in Ramadan were selected 3 days before Ramadan. All of the patients were on oral hypoglycemic agents. Their height, weight, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting and 2 hours post prandial serum glucose, serum cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, triglyceride, insulin, creatinine, and hemoglobin A1c were measured. At the end of Ramadan, the patients visited again. All of the patients with less than 20 sequential days of fasting were excluded from the study. Changes in the above markers were analyzed by paired t-test and sign-test.
Results: The survey was carried out on 40 patients (24 females and 16 males). A significant statistical reduction in weight, body mass index, serum cholesterol, creatinine, and also in serum insulin was observed at the end of the study (P<0.05). There was a significant elevation in the level of fasting blood sugar but, there was no change in the level of HbA1c and 2 hours post prandial blood sugar. Total cholesterol level was reduced after Ramadan but, no significant changes were observed in the level of HDL, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride. The changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure were not significant, either. There were no complications such as hypoglycemia in our patients during fasting.
Conclusion: Ramadan fasting not only is not harmful to type 2 diabetes mellitus but also is useful for fat diabetic patients. Further studies with more patients especially patients taking insulin are recommended.
نوع مطالعه:
مقاله پژوهشی |
دریافت: 1387/7/7 | پذیرش: 1396/3/28 | انتشار: 1396/3/28