Ramadan Fasting Basic Information and Nutritional Habits among MASHAD Study Population

Ramadan is the ninth lunar month. During this month, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. This study aimed to describe the Persian cohort participants’ basic information and nutritional habits regarding Ramadan fasting. 

This cross-sectional study was conducted on Mashhad study population who completed the validated Ramadan fasting questionnaire. 

Total number of 8769 individuals (59.2% females, mean age of 57.44±8 years) participated in this study. There was a significant difference in fasting between men and women in society; 97% of women and 90.2% of men have fasted during their lifetime (P <0.001). In total, 63.2% of those who did not fast suffered from chronic diseases, 7.5% from acute conditions, 14.9% from weakness, and 14.5% from personal reasons. Almost 94% of the studied population did not experience any medical problems during fasting. Among these, severe hypoglycemia was the most reported during fasting (1.9%) followed by loss of consciousness in 1.5% of subjects, which was statistically different based on gender (1% of men and 1.7% of women, P=0/008). 

Based on the results, 94.3% of the studied population had a history of fasting, and women have fasted sooner and significantly higher than men during their lifetime. The main reasons for non-fasting were chronic disease in women and personal reasons in men. Almost 94% of the fasted population reported no medical problems during fasting. The most commonly reported problem during fasting was severe hypoglycemia.