Effects of Ramadan fasting on body composition and arterial stiffness

Objective: To examine the effects of Ramadan fasting on body composition, arterial stiffness and resting heart rate. Methods: This prospective study was conducted at the Department of Cardiology, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey, during Ramadan 2015, and comprised overweight and obese males. Body composition, arterial stiffness and echocardiography were assessed before and after Ramadan. Body composition was assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis using segmental body composition analyser. Arterial stiffness and haemodynamic parameters were also measured. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis. Results: Of the 100 subjects enrolled, 70(70%) were included. The overall mean age was 37 +/- 7 years. No significant changes were observed in blood pressures, resting heart rate, aortic pulse wave velocity, aortic augmentation index-75, aortic pulse pressure, brachial pulse pressure, basal metabolic rate, total body water, fat-free mass, and echocardiographic parameters (p > 0.05 each). Although aortic pulse wave velocity (m/s) and augmentation index-75 (%) decreased after fasting period compared to that of before Ramadan, these reductions did not reach statistically significant levels (8.6 +/- 1.8 vs. 8.9 +/- 1.9, and 13.6 +/- 6.6 vs. 14.7 +/- 9.3, respectively; p > 0.05 each). Body mass index, waist-hip ratio, body water rate, percentage of body fatmass, body fatmass, and visceral fatmass percentage were significantly reduced (p < 0.05 each) after Ramadan. Conclusion: Ramadan fasting had beneficial effects on body composition, but did not have any significant effect on arterial stiffness and resting heart rate.