Eating a high-fat diet outside of fasting hours may reduce some of the harmful effects for pregnant women fasting during Ramadan.
What is Ramadan fasting?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and in Australia this year begins on the evening of March 22 and ends on April 20. Healthy adult Muslims must fast from dawn to dusk every day. This includes abstaining from drinking, eating, immoral behavior, and expressing anger. It is also recommended to pray, read the Quran and give alms during the blessed month.
How does the mother’s lifestyle affect the baby during Ramadan?
German researchers examined maternal lifestyle during Ramadan to determine whether dietary and sleep changes during the month (in addition to and independent of maternal fasting) were associated with neonatal health outcomes.
Is it advisable to fast during pregnancy?
Fasting during the first trimester (from week 1 to the end of week 12) was found to be strongly associated with lower birth weight. However, when daily fat intake is increased outside of fasting hours, this negative effect disappears.
“The finding that dietary intake during Ramadan potentially moderates the association between fasting and birth weight is of high importance to pregnant Muslims who wish to fast and their health care providers, as non-fasting dietary choices can often be modified relatively easily,” the authors said. .
A new German study surveyed 326 Muslims whose pregnancies coincided with the month of Ramadan in 2017.
According to the authors, a “temporary caloric deficit” may be a mechanism by which intermittent fasting during pregnancy affects offspring birth weight.
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“Since high-fat foods have a higher caloric content, consuming large amounts of such foods can prevent pregnant women from reaching their daily caloric intake. In addition, since fat has a low glycemic index, increasing fat consumption on fasting days can help the fetus. delay the onset of physical conditions that are harmful to
According to the researchers, more research is needed to assess the importance of individual nutrients and food groups in order to provide accurate dietary advice for pregnant Muslims who wish to fast during Ramadan.
Source: Medium
