Ramadan and the health aspects of fasting
Pakistani Muslims buy dates for the coming Islamic month of Ramadan, Friday, Aug. 21, 2009 in Karachi, Pakistan (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
Zafar Nomani, professor emeritus of human nutrition and foods at West Virginia University, has written a fascinating piece on the Washington Post’s “On Faith” blog about the health aspects of fasting, just in time for the beginning of Ramadan.
Beginning today or tomorrow (depending on which authority one abides by) Muslims will fast from dawn to sunset each day. Fasting, or sawm, is one of the five pillars of Islam. Each evening during Ramadan Muslims, will break their 13- to 14-hour fast with a frequently festive communal meal called the iftar. The end of Ramadan is celebrated with a feast called Eid al-Fitr.
Nomani says fasting “can be healthy for people of all faiths from Christians to Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and others who fast as a part of their spiritual practice. But it’s got to be done right.” He says his and others’ research has found that fasting “has clear spiritual, physical, psychological and social benefits.”
Nomani writes:
First of all, too many people, ironically, eat too much when they’re not fasting. Scientific studies reveal that some people overeat during Ramadan, a phenomenon that contradicts the essential spirit of Ramadan.
Studies indicate that health problems can emerge as a result of eating too much or eating a diet that isn’t balanced. The body has regulatory mechanisms that activate during fasting, and we don’t need to overeat to get our body the nutrients it needs. Scientific studies have shown that there our bodies efficiently utilize the body fat typically available in most of our bodies.
During Ramadan, research has shown that the basal metabolism of fasting subjects slows down. A person can stay healthy and active during Ramadan consuming a diet that is less than the normal amount of calories or food intake but balanced in nutrients.
Tim Townsend has been the religion reporter at the Post-Dispatch since June 2004. He previously covered personal finance and consumer news for The Wall Street Journal. He holds master's degrees from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Yale Divinity School. In 2005 he won the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year Award, given by the Religion Newswriters Association. 
I, for one, am glad that my religion does not promote or require fasting. I don’t even have to give up meat during Lent! I do have a lot of respect for people with the will power to fast though. Especially Muslims. I love the cuisine of several Muslim countries.
As part of my Christian religion, I fast at least once a month for 24 hours. This monthly process has been a real source of strength for me, as I learn a little more about discipline, humility and my dependence on God. It’s not always easy to accomplish, but it is definitely a faith-building and spiritually deepening experience.
The Christian (term used in the authentic, traditional sense) fasts for many reasons, including obedience and discipline, but also penance. Pope Clement XIII beautifully describes the rationale for the latter: “You will begin most appropriately, and with hope of the greatest profit, to recall men to the observance of the holy law of fasting, if you teach the people this: penance for the Christian man is not satisfied by withdrawing from sin, by detesting a past life badly lived, or by the sacramental confession of these same sins. Rather, penance also demands that we satisfy divine justice with fasting, almsgiving, prayer, and other works of the spiritual life. Every wrongdoing — be it large or small — is fittingly punished, either by the penitent or by a vengeful God. Therefore we cannot avoid God’s punishment in any other way than by punishing ourselves. If this teaching is constantly implanted in the minds of the faithful, and if they drink deeply of it, there will be very little cause to fear that those who have discarded their degraded habits and washed their sins clean through sacramental confession would not want to expiate the same sins through fasting, to eliminate the concupiscence of the flesh. Besides, consider the man who is convinced that he repents of his sins more firmly when he does not allow himself to go unpunished. That man, already consumed with the love of penance, will rejoice during the season of Lent and on certain other days, when the Church declares that the faithful should fast and gives them the opportunity to bring forth worthy fruits of penance.”
Penance is one important difference between the Muslim and Christian fasting. Ramadhan is a blessing, it has never been viewed as a penance. This is reflected in the greeting. The proper greeting for Ramadhan is Happy Ramadhan, which can be said to any Muslim friend (or Wish you a Happy Ramadhan). The greeting Muslims give to one another is ‘Ramadhan Mubarak’ or blessed ramadhan. It is a month of rejuvenation, somewhat like Jim mentions. It is not only physical though, there is a spiritual rejuvenation also expected. During this lunar month Muslims are supposed to pray more and read the Qur’an daily.
The theology of penance is peculiarly Roman Catholic. For those of us on the Reformed side of the aisle, we are told famously that God’s Grace is sufficient.
Fasting as discipline, fasting as a spiritual exercise, fasting as something to celebrate one’s relationship with God, certainly. Penance? Not so much.
After all, Jesus said, “WHEN you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance in order to be seen fasting by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face, so that you may not be seen fasting by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” Matthew 7:16-18.
Note the WHEN, not an “If”. Fasting is highly recommended to Christians…and darned few actually do it.
I think that Professor Zafar Nomani’s finding on the health benefits of fasting are more than a little influenced by his religion. Fasting is a relic of mystical traditions before the advent of modern science and medicine. His back of the envelope study does little to override the lack of scientific evidence of the health benefits of fasting. Many credible sources within the mainstream medical community dispute the health benefits of fasting. It can actually be very harmful if done to excess and for certain classes of unhealthy individuals.
Any research done to justify religious dogma needs to be investigated with a very skeptical eye.
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-research/summaries/duska-fasting.jsp
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/is_fasting_healthy
We are all influenced by what we experience and millions of Muslims have been fasting every year for over 1500 years. A scientific mind does become curious of what medical effect this practice might have. There is actually quite a bit of evidence that low calorie intake has a large number of benefits. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction
However, the Qur’an is quite specific that if a person has some illness or a condition that prevents them from fasting for such a person it is not obligatory. Certainly a diabetic is not expected to fast. The benefits observed are for people who are otherwise healthy, for them fasting does seem to have some benefits.