ReviewNutrients2019
Energy Metabolism and Intermittent Fasting: The Ramadan Perspective.
Review in Nutrients, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 68 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
68 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Efficacy of Nutritional Strategies on the Improvement of the Performance and Health of the Athlete: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Effect of Religious Fasting in Ramadan on Blood Pressure: Results From LORANS (London Ramadan Study) and a Meta-Analysis.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2021Pooled 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
- 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
- Trial
- 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
- Effects of Walking Football During Ramadan Fasting on Heart Rate Variability and Physical Fitness in Healthy Middle-Aged Males.American journal of men's healthTrial
- Effect of energy intake expenditure balance on sleep duration: a cross-sectional study concerning the 2019, 2020, and 2022 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.Korean journal of family medicine · 2026Article
- Ramadan fasting and circadian ambulatory blood pressure patterns in adults aged ≥ 80 years.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Fasting-induced physiological remodeling alleviated fatty liver in laying hens through regulating hepatic lipid metabolism.Poultry science · 2026Article
- Rise of ischaemic stroke incidence among Muslims during the Ramadan period: a 5-year observational study.Singapore medical journal · 2026Observational
- Observational
- A Tripartite Framework of Conflict-Induced Stress, Acoustic Hypervigilance, and Ramadan Observance as Convergent Determinants of Circadian Decoherence in Athletes.Nature and science of sleep · 2026Review
- Nutritional, sleep, physical activity, and quality-of-life changes during Ramadan fasting: a prospective comparative study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- When hunger and thirst part ways: a longitudinal comparison of men and women across the Ramadan fasting-recovery cycle, with non-fasting controls.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Age-Related Anabolic Resistance: Nutritional and Exercise Strategies, and Potential Relevance to Life-Long Exercisers.Nutrients · 2025Review
8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Intermittent fasting (IF) has been gaining popularity as a means of losing weight. The Ramadan fast (RF) is a form of IF practiced by millions of adult Muslims globally for a whole lunar month every year. It entails a major shift from normal eating patterns to exclusive nocturnal eating. RF is a state of intermittent liver glycogen depletion and repletion. The earlier (morning) part of the fasting day is marked by dominance of carbohydrate as the main fuel, but lipid becomes more important towards the afternoon and as the time for breaking the fast at sunset (iftar) gets closer. The practice of observing Ramadan fasting is accompanied by changes in sleeping and activity patterns, as well as circadian rhythms of hormones including cortisol, insulin, leptin, ghrelin, growth hormone, prolactin, sex hormones, and adiponectin. Few studies have investigated energy expenditure in the context of RF including resting metabolic rate (RMR) and total energy expenditure (TEE) and found no significant changes with RF. Changes in activity and sleeping patterns however do occur and are different from non-Ramadan days. Weight changes in the context of Ramadan fast are variable and typically modest with wise inter-individual variation. As well as its direct relevance to many religious observers, understanding intermittent fasting may have implications on weight loss strategies with even broader potential implications. This review examines current knowledge on different aspects of energy balance in RF, as a common model to learn from and also map out strategies for healthier outcomes in such settings.
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