Health benefits of fasting

Guests treated to Iftar (breaking fast) by Imperial Bank at Acacia mall. Photo by Abubaker Lubowa

Juma Luyombya, 43, a cab driver was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes 10 years ago and was advised by his family doctor to refrain from fasting, be it obligatory or optionally.
The doctor’s advice was based on the fact that Luyombya often has some injections that help him to regulate the sugar levels in the body.

Aware of the fact that Islam does not allow harming one’s life even if it is in fulfilling the mandatory pillars of Islam, Luyombya says he always felt guilty whenever it was Ramadhan period, since it is a sacred month.

However, Luyombya says one day, he decided to try to fast for some hours to experiment what would happen.

“Day one, it was approaching 3pm and I felt dizzy, I took a shower then rested until it was time to break the fast,” he narrates.

The next day, “I ensured that I took medication and tried fasting again. I got a minor stomach ache, which lasted about 30 minutes,” he explains.
“And that was my journey to resume fasting three years back after I had been stopped from the practice seven years ago,” he says.
Today, Luyombya is happy because he is among those fulfilling the fourth pillar of Islam.

Luyombya’s experience, according to Dr Badru Matovu, the Head Clinician at Kibuli Hospital, is something that is possible given the fact that fasting has got many health benefits that have been acknowledged globally.

Regulates body metabolism
Given the fact that humans eat 12 months a year, Dr Matovu says, the body tends to accumulate high sugar levels than what is required.

“God put a sophisticated system in our bodies that regulates sugar levels internally. But because of our eating habits, the body is given no time to rest which causes excessive sugar accumulation in the body than what it requires,” he says.

But fasting helps to check the system as the body will be provided with a grace period to utilise the excessive sugars through fasting,” he observes.
This detoxifies the body and also in some lowers blood pressure.

Regulates food stores
The doctor says, as one fasts, the body system is put to some periodic rest, which makes it utilise what has been stored in the body food stores. As a result there is a breakdown of glucose for the body to get energy.

“Fasting keeps the body fluid production in check, since food breakdown is at a balanced rate as the body depletes the congested food stores.” In the process the energy production is also gradually patterned.

Reduction of body fats
Dr Matovu says since fasting leads to decreased production of sugars yet the bodily physical exercises do not stop, this leads to utilisation and consumption of the fats in the body.. This keeps a stable fat accumulation in the body system.

Weight loss
As a result of reduced fats, there is weight loss on a daily basis.

By the time the 29 or 30 days of fasting are complete, Dr Matovu notes that a person who has been weighing over 100kg could have lost about 10kg.

This only happens if the person fasting observes the religious meals’ time. “This is best achieved when on eats lightly at Iftar (breaking fast in the evening) and eating moderately at Suhr (dawn meal),” Dr Matovu warns.

Appetite reduction
According to Muhammad Mpiima, a nutritionist, in psychology, there is what is called conditioning, which is the external body’s response to food aroma.

This, he says, stimulates our internal bodies’ reactions that makes our bodies overreact in unnecessary situations even when one does not necessarily want to eat.

“But fasting, keeps the brains steady and helps one to balance between unnecessary and necessary food responses and in the long run makes one check their urge to eat,” Mpiima says.

Addiction check
Fasting in some cases has proved to help addicts reduce their desires for substances such as alcohol and smoke.

But he notes that there are other procedures that may be needed to fight off addictions, where fasting can be aligned.

Immunity boosting
According to Dr Matovu, fasting helps to eliminate some toxins.
“Since many Muslims take fruits to break the fast, this increases the body’s store of essential vitamins and minerals, which are antioxidants readily available in fruits. This way, body immunity is boosted,” he says.

Remember, that you do not have to defy the doctor’s orders to fit in the religious obligations.

However
Despite these benefits, fasting has some demerits. It may cause reduction in body water called dehydration. This leads may lead to headaches and even trigger migraines in predisposed persons. It may worsen heartburn and peptic ulcer. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, malnourished people, and individuals with cardiac arrhythmias, renal or liver problems are advised not to fast.