SafeHomeDIY
  • Safety
  • News
  • Health
  • Allergies & Diseases
  • Food & Recipe
  • Diet
  • Relationships
  • #COVID-19
Safe Home DIY
Safe Home DIY
  • Home
  • Health
    • Health Today
    • Women’s Health
    • Safety
    • Health & Fitness
    • Weight Loss
  • Nutrition
    • Diet
    • Food & Recipe
    • Skin Care
  • Allergies & Diseases
    • Autism
    • Remedies
  • Pets
  • News
  • Allergies & Diseases
  • News

Can people with diabetes keep fast during Ramadan?

  • April 30, 2020
  • SafeHomeDIY

Fasting is the hallmark of Ramadan and it requires abstinence from food and drink (including water) from sunrise to sunset. All Muslim adults are obligated to observe the month-long sunrise-to-sunset fast. However, children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and the elderly are exempted from this religious practice. How about people with underlying health conditions like diabetes  – Is it safe for them to observe fasting during Ramadan?Also Read – Want to control your blood sugar levels? Have a healthy dinner

Yes, it is safe for most diabetic patients to fast, but you should check with your doctor first. Because it could be dangerous for some people with complicated diabetes.Also Read – Ever heard of diabetic shock? Take prompt action before it becomes fatal

Many Muslims with diabetes all over the world keep fast during Ramadhan. Some studies suggest that fasting may be helpful for people with diabetes as it can help cut down on inflammation, promote weight loss, and lower cholesterol.Also Read – AI to predict future diabetes cases with 94 per cent accuracy

A small study found that men with type 2 diabetes were able to stop taking insulin after fasting 3 days a week for a month. Within a year, they could stop taking other diabetes medications as well. Another study, including 10 obese men with type 2 diabetes, found improvement in their fasting glucose after following a time-restricted eating plan. The participants also lost weight over 6 weeks.

Your body takes about 12 hours to use glycogen, the extra glucose stored in your liver. When you don’t eat for hours, your body will start burning fat instead of glycogen for energy. This way fasting helps you lose weight.

Caution: Fasting is not recommended as a technique for diabetes management and much of the research on fasting has been done in lab animals.

Risks associated with fasting

Before you undertake fasting, you should know the risks associated with fasting and how to avoid them. Fasting may make you feel drowsy, irritable as well as give you a headache. And if you continue fasting for more than a day, your body may not get enough nutrients it needs to function properly.

READ RELATED: Sarah Cawood, 50, shows off her ‘very neat’ lumpectomy scars two weeks post-surgery

If you’re taking medication like insulin to control your diabetes, fasting may turn out to be very dangerous for you. If you don’t eat, your blood sugar levels could go dangerously low. This condition is called hypoglycemia, and it can cause you to feel shaky, pass out, or even go into a coma.

The opposite may happen when you break your fast. If you eat too many carbohydrates after fasting, you may develop hyperglycemia, which occurs when your blood sugar levels go too high.

So, fasting may not be safe if you have type 1 diabetes, other diabetes-related health problems, and hypoglycemia.

In addition to the timings of meals, Ramadhan fasting may disrupt sleeping patterns and hormonal rhythms. This can affect your metabolic state. Dehydration and diabetes ketoacidosis are other complications of fasting.

Signs that you should stop fasting

If you have already started fasting, watch out for these warning signs.

Too-low blood sugar or hypoglycaemia may make you feel shaky, sweaty, or confused. Stop fasting right away if you start experiencing these symptoms and talk to your doctor to treat the condition.

Avoid eating too many carbohydrate-rich foods after fasting, it can cause your blood sugar levels to become too high. Also, don’t take caffeine beverages as they can be dehydrating. Don’t do hard exercises while you’re fasting as it can make your blood sugar levels dip. You can continue you’re your routine morning walk.

Take away

People with diabetes should keep fast during Ramadhan only after discussion with their doctor. Experts recommend pre-Ramadhan counselling to safely fast during the holy month. Consult your physician at least 2-3 months before the holy month to discuss lifestyle modification, diet and medication accordingly.

Published : April 29, 2020 10:46 pm | Updated:April 29, 2020 10:53 pm

/**/

Source:

Related Topics
  • Diabetes
  • diabetes care
  • Diseases & Conditions
  • fasting in diabetes
SafeHomeDIY

Health - Relationships - Lifestyle Related matters. It's All About your Safety First - It's All About You

Previous Article
  • News

Researchers call on governments to provide more financial help amid fears suicide rates will rise

  • April 30, 2020
  • SafeHomeDIY
View Post
Next Article
  • Health

Hair loss treatment: The fish-based supplement proven to treat thinning hair

  • April 30, 2020
  • SafeHomeDIY
View Post
You May Also Like
Pregnant women at risk as 'highly contagious' bug cases spike across the UK
View Post
  • News

Pregnant women at risk as 'highly contagious' bug cases spike across the UK

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • December 8, 2023
Full list of regions where UK's '100 day cough' cases are spiking as expert issues warning
View Post
  • News

Full list of regions where UK's '100 day cough' cases are spiking as expert issues warning

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • December 8, 2023
CDC sounds alarm over superbugs in Ukraine that are resistant to 'last-ditch' antibiotics and are beginning to spread across war-torn country's borders
View Post
  • News

CDC sounds alarm over superbugs in Ukraine that are resistant to 'last-ditch' antibiotics and are beginning to spread across war-torn country's borders

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • December 8, 2023
Doctors’ vaccine plea as winter viruses creep up
View Post
  • News

Doctors’ vaccine plea as winter viruses creep up

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • December 7, 2023
Girl, 2, dies after catching rare virus from a PIGEON - and doctors don't know how she got infected
View Post
  • News

Girl, 2, dies after catching rare virus from a PIGEON – and doctors don't know how she got infected

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • December 7, 2023
Six little known brain tumour warning signs after Benjamin Zephaniah died just eight weeks after diagnosis
View Post
  • News

Six little known brain tumour warning signs after Benjamin Zephaniah died just eight weeks after diagnosis

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • December 7, 2023
Inside the new JN.1 Covid variant threatening a new 'wave' just before Christmas
View Post
  • News

Inside the new JN.1 Covid variant threatening a new 'wave' just before Christmas

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • December 7, 2023
One person dies and five are put on ventilators after catching deadly disease from their TAP WATER in California
View Post
  • News

One person dies and five are put on ventilators after catching deadly disease from their TAP WATER in California

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • December 7, 2023
Recent Posts
  • Inside Chevy Chase’s health woes including heart failure after 80-year-old seen in wheelchair and scary fall off stage
  • Pregnant women at risk as 'highly contagious' bug cases spike across the UK
  • McDonald's Just Revealed the Fate of Its Popular Snack Wraps
  • Selena Gomez's Sweet Snap Confirms Cozy Romance With Benny Blanco
  • Full list of regions where UK's '100 day cough' cases are spiking as expert issues warning
Safe Home DIY
  • Guest Post
  • Disclaimer and Disclosure
  • Term of Use
Health - Relationships - Lifestyle Related matters. It's All About your Safety First - It's All About You

Input your search keywords and press Enter.