Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, London Newark Street, London E1 2AT, UK.
J Public Health (Oxf). 2012 Aug;34(3):377-81. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdr087. Epub 2011 Nov 13.
During Ramadan, observant Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for a month. Knowing whether Ramadan fasting affects body weight has implications for health advice to the Muslim community, for understanding the effects of skipping meals on body weight, and for general weight management advice.
We compared body weight before and after the Ramadan fast and 1 month later in observant Muslims attending a Mosque in East London, UK.
In 202 participants who provided weight at the beginning and the end of Ramadan, there was a small weight decrease (-0.84 kg, 95% CI = -0.6 to -1, P < 0.0001), with 46% of participants losing >1 kg. Participants who fasted throughout Ramadan lost significantly more weight (1 kg) than those who occasionally broke fast (0.3 kg, P = 0.013). In 87 participants who provided weight at the beginning and end of Ramadan and also 1 month later, all the lost weight was regained (+0.1 kg, 95% CI = 0.2-0.5, P = 0.504 compared with baseline).
Observers of Ramadan lose on average about a kilogram of weight over 4 weeks, and the lost weight is quickly regained. Current weight management treatments generally assume that skipping meals leads to weight gain and advise against it. The finding suggests that further research is needed on the justification of the 'do not skip meals' advice.
在斋月期间，虔诚的穆斯林要从日出到日落禁食一个月。了解斋月禁食是否会影响体重，这对向穆斯林社区提供健康建议、理解禁食对体重的影响以及一般的体重管理建议都具有重要意义。
我们比较了在英国伦敦东部一座清真寺参加礼拜的虔诚穆斯林在斋月前后及斋月结束后 1 个月的体重。
在 202 名提供了斋月开始和结束时体重的参与者中，体重出现了轻微下降（-0.84 公斤，95%CI=-0.6 至-1，P<0.0001），有 46%的参与者体重下降超过 1 公斤。整个斋月禁食的参与者体重下降明显多于偶尔禁食的参与者（1 公斤对 0.3 公斤，P=0.013）。在 87 名提供了斋月开始和结束时以及 1 个月后体重的参与者中，所有丢失的体重都恢复了（+0.1 公斤，95%CI=0.2 至 0.5，与基线相比 P=0.504）。
斋月的观察者平均在 4 周内会减掉约 1 公斤体重，而且减掉的体重很快就会恢复。目前的体重管理治疗通常假设禁食会导致体重增加，并建议避免禁食。这一发现表明，需要进一步研究“不跳过餐食”建议的合理性。
