ABSTRACT
Objectives The literature on health and disease during Ramadan fasting (RF) is widely spread in many journals making it not readily accessible to those interested in the subject. Here, we provide an overview of the research on the interplay of RF with various aspects of well-being published in 2022.Materials and Methods A narrative, nonsystematic review of the international literature from a single major medical online database, PubMed, in one calendar year (2022) was conducted. The search term "Ramadan fasting" was used to retrieve the appropriate records. The relevant literature with substantial data-based content was presented in a concise thematic account, excluding those concerned with diabetes.Results Themes that emerged from the review included the pathophysiology of metabolic changes during RF, nutritional aspects including body composition and energy metabolism, cardiovascular disease and risk factors, renal function and structure, endocrinology (mainly thyroid), neurological disorders, mental health, pregnancy and fetal life, and infections (including COVID). Some miscellaneous clinical themes were identified, such as patients' and professional perspectives.Conclusions In 2022, the medical interest in RF was again widely spread across specialties. Cardiovascular disease and risk factors attract the most interest in terms of original articles and professional guidelines. We hope with this review to present a concise summary of the scholarly work on the subject in this year.
ABSTRACT
The 9th "Ramadan and Diabetes" international alliance annual conference was held over 2 days (January 21-22, 2021) virtually due to health restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program included several sessions covering various aspects of Ramadan fasting from physiology, nutrition, pharmacotherapies, mental well-being, and bioethical considerations. A good proportion of the conference was used to highlight the 2021 edition of the International Diabetes Federation-diabetes and Ramadan (DaR) recommendations on diabetes management during Ramadan. The proposed new risk stratification tool for objectively assessing patient's risk was discussed. Results of the DAR global survey of the impact of COVID-19 on fasting practices were reported during the event. Results of a couple of recent trials were presented during the conference. The conference closed by a thoughtful review of the grading of evidence and a futuristic vision of future research directions. The present report provides a concise overview of the conference to help those who did not have the opportunity to attend the live event.