This is How Fasting Affects the Body

Ramadan: Do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. Can that really be healthy?

The body switches to starvation

Ramadan is once a year, when devout Muslims fast for a month. During the month of fasting, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset. They have breakfast before the sun rises and only when it gets dark again in the evening does the family come together to break the fast. At the end of Ramadan there is a big festival where Muslims break the fast together. Until then, they will abstain from eating and drinking for around 16 hours a day.

A lot happens in the fasting body during this time. Those who do not fast supply their body with food regularly throughout the day – and thus also with energy. If you do without food, the blood sugar level drops first. Brain and body are supplied with less energy and the body switches to starvation metabolism. The body begins to produce its own glucose. To do this, he attacks energy reserves: First, stored carbohydrates that are stored in organs and muscles, then the fat reserves and finally proteins. However, the muscles do not break down in the 16 hours.

During the conversion of carbohydrates, fats and proteins to glucose, intermediate products are formed that can acidify the blood. This can result in cravings, tremors and problems concentrating. In Ramadan, the body switches to this starvation metabolism from around noon – until then the reserves that were fed up at breakfast in the morning are sufficient. Exactly when the metabolism changes depends on what the fasting person ate beforehand: high-fiber food, such as whole grain products, can maintain the blood sugar level longer than products made from wheat flour.

Not drinking can be a problem

However, a healthy body usually gets used to this change quickly and can cope with the lower energy level. Then fasting can also have positive effects: happiness hormones, for example, have a longer effect on the brain.

Not drinking anything for 16 hours is a bit more problematic: not enough fluid gets into the bloodstream, the blood thickens and flows more slowly. As a result, blood pressure drops. This can cause dizziness, headaches and problems concentrating.

On particularly hot days, the lack of fluids can even trigger fainting spells – especially during physical exertion. Fasting also inhibits sweat production. The body can then no longer cool itself. Headaches and dizziness can result. Anyone with health problems should be particularly careful: people with kidney problems or an increased risk of thrombosis should, for example, speak to their doctor before fasting.