SynthesisJournal of religion and health2014
Does Ramadan fasting alter body weight and blood lipids and fasting blood glucose in a healthy population? A meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of religion and health, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 98 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
98 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The effect of Ramadan fasting on anthropometric and body composition of healthy adults within different time points: A systematic review and meta-analysis.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Religious fasting and its impacts on individual, public, and planetary health: Fasting as a "religious health asset" for a healthier, more equitable, and sustainable society.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of the impact of diurnal intermittent fasting during Ramadan on body weight in healthy subjects aged 16 years and above.European journal of nutrition · 2020Pooled it
- Effect of diurnal fasting on sleep during Ramadan: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2020Pooled it
- Effects of Ramadan Observance on Dietary Intake and Body Composition of Adolescent Athletes: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2020Pooled it
- Effects of time-restricted feeding on body weight and metabolism. A systematic review and meta-analysis.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2020Pooled it
- Effect of Ramadan fasting on glycaemic parameters & body mass index in type II diabetic patients: A meta-analysis.The Indian journal of medical research · 2019Pooled it
- Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Weight and Body Composition in Healthy Non-Athlete Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2019Pooled it
- Effects of Modified Ramadan Fasting on Mental Well-Being and Biomarkers in Healthy Adult Muslims - A Randomised Controlled Trial.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2025Trial
- Effect of intermittent Islamic fasting in management of metabolic syndrome: a randomized control trial.BMC public health · 2025Trial
- Intermittent Fasting Regimes Reduce Gingival Inflammation: A Three-Arm Clinical Trial.Journal of clinical periodontology · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Ramadan fasting and circadian ambulatory blood pressure patterns in adults aged ≥ 80 years.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Ramadan fasting and adverse outcomes in cirrhosis: primary risk estimates with associated independent predictors.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Effects of fasting on HDL particle function and size distribution.Journal of lipid research · 2025Review
- The Role of Intermittent Fasting in the Activation of Autophagy Processes in the Context of Cancer Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Thematic Evolution and Scholarly Contributions: A Study of the Top 100 Most Cited Papers in the Journal of Religion and Health.Journal of religion and health · 2025Article
- Effect of 30-day Ramadan fasting on autophagy pathway and metabolic health outcome in healthy individuals.Molecular biology research communications · 2025Article
38 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis of self-controlled cohort studies comparing body weights, blood levels of lipids and fasting blood glucose levels before and after Ramadan taking into account gender differences. Several databases were searched up to June 2012 for studies showing an effect of Ramadan fasting in healthy subjects, yielding 30 articles. The primary finding of this meta-analysis was that after Ramadan fasting, low-density lipoprotein (SMD = -1.67, 95 % CI = -2.48 to -0.86) and fasting blood glucose levels (SMD = -1.10, 95 % CI = -1.62 to -0.58) were decreased in both sex groups and also in the entire group compared to levels prior to Ramadan. In addition, in the female subgroup, body weight (SMD = -0.04, 95 % CI = -0.20, 0.12), total cholesterol (SMD = 0.05, 95 % CI = -0.51 to 0.60), and triglyceride levels (SMD = 0.03, 95 % CI = -0.31, 0.36) remained unchanged, while HDL levels (SMD = 0.86, 95 % CI = 0.11 to 1.61, p = 0.03) were increased. In males, Ramadan fasting resulted in weight loss (SMD = -0.24, 95 % CI = -0.36, -0.12, p = 0.001). Also, a substantial reduction in total cholesterol (SMD = -0.44, 95 % CI = -0.77 to -0.11) and LDL levels (SMD = -2.22, 95 % CI = -3.47 to -0.96) and a small decrease in triglyceride levels (SMD = -0.35, 95 % CI = -0.67 to -0.02) were observed in males. In conclusion, by looking at this data, it is evident that Ramadan fasting can effectively change body weight and some biochemical parameters in healthy subjects especially in males compared to pre-Ramadan period.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.