COMPARISON OF SUGAR LEVEL AND BLOOD LIPIDS WHILE FASTING IN 1st AND 4th WEEK OF HOLY MONTH OF RAMADHAN AT SERVICES HOSPITAL, LAHORE

Objective: To evaluate the effects of fasting in the holy month of Ramadan on blood sugar and lipid profile. Setting: The research was conducted at Services Hospital, Lahore. Subjects and Methods: A total of 60 subjects who volunteered for the study were selected. The research was carried out in the Holy month of Ramadan, 2017 at Services Hospital, Lahore. The duration of fasting in that year was almost twelve hours. The sample consisted of sixty healthy adults. The blood specimens were collected in first and fourth week of the holy month. The blood was analyzed for VLDLc, LDLc, HDLc, blood sugar, TG and total cholesterol [TC]. Results: A reduction in the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol -LDLc was observed near sunset. The reduction was statistically highly significant with a P-value (< 0.005). Similarly, the readings for TC were marked with falling tendency but the values were not statistically significant P-value (< 0.16). However, the values for other blood parameters blood sugar, VLDLc, TG and HDLc raised insignificantly at the end of the fasting with p values of < 0.72, < 0.71, < 0.29 and < 0.36 respectively. Conclusion: The study concluded that the low-density lipoprotein is reduced significantly during Ramadan fasting and further reduces the risk of coronary heart diseases.