Gut microbiota modulation as a possible mediating mechanism for fasting-induced alleviation of metabolic complications: a systematic review

Background Intermittent fasting has been reported to have positive effects on obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and several neurodegenerative diseases through different mechanisms such as alteration in the gut microbiota. This systematic review was conducted with the aim of providing an overview of the existing animal and human literature regarding the gut microbiota alterations in various fasting regimens. Method A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases up to May 2021 to find all relevant studies examining the gut microbiota alteration during the fasting. Original researches on animal models or human patients were included in this study. Results The search fulfilled 3072 documents from which 31 studies (20 animal and 11 human studies) were included. Upon fasting, abundance of several beneficial bacteria including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium shifted significantly. Moreover, some taxa, including Odoribacter which negatively associated with blood pressure bloomed during fasting. Ramadan fasting, as a kind of intermittent fasting, improves health parameters through positive changes in gut microbiota including upregulation of A. muciniphila, B. fragilis, Bacteroides and butyric acid–producing Lachnospiraceae. Conclusion The findings suggest that different fasting regimens including alternate-day fasting, calorie- and time-restricted fasting programs and Ramadan fasting could promote health maybe through the modulation of gut microbiome. However, further studies are needed to explore properly the connection between gut microbiota and meal frequency and timing.

The Safeness of Ramadan Fasting Among Patients Who Have Undergone Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: a Cross-sectional Descriptive Study

Background: The rise of Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PPCI) procedure as an option for treating Coronary Artery Diseases demands addressing a variety of concerns in the recovery period and afterward including fasting the Ramadan month in the countries with the prevailing Muslim population. Therefore this study aims to assess the ability and the safety of fasting among patients who underwent PPCI within two specified periods.Method: This study was a prospective observational study with a sample size of 200 consecutive patients that have been divided into two groups based on the duration of their last PCI for an attack of Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI). The patients were admitted to the Causality Department of the Surgical Specialty Hospital-Cardiac Center, Erbil/Iraq. The studied data have been analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science version 25 (SPSS), and a P-value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: The proportion of fasting and non-fasting patients showed a significant association with the duration of their last PCI procedure with a P-value of 0.001 as 14% in Group I (patients with less than 6 weeks duration post-PCI) successfully fasted the month while it was 54% in Group II (Patients with more than 6 weeks duration post PCI). Among our findings, there were significant associations with P-values of 0.001 between post-PCI symptoms and Ramadan fasting. In regards to NYHA classifications assessment, Group I had a higher proportion of patients classified as Class III and Class IV compared to Group II with a significant P-value of 0.001 with proportions of class III classification in Group I of 14.3% among fasting, 17.1% among non-fasting, and 58.3% among those who could not continue their fasting while in Group II, the proportions showed 3.7% among fasting, 6.7% among non-fasting, and 0% among those who could not continue their fasting.Conclusion: We discourage fasting among patients who have undergone Percutaneous Coronary Intervention within the first 6 weeks, as well as patients who have NYHA class III and above as they are highly liable for deterioration and can not continue their fasting.

The Effect of Fasting Ramadhan and Diet on Blood Sugar Levels in People With Diabetes Mellitus : A Literature Review

ABSTRACT Diabetes mellitus is a health disorder caused by an increase in blood sugar levels due to insulin resistance. Fasting can be used as a way to control diet, when fasting calories in the body will be reduced and the body will break down glycogen into glucose so that glucose levels can decrease. The purpose of this paper is to determine the effect of Ramadan fasting and eating patterns on blood sugar levels in people with diabetes mellitus. The method used with the literature review is by reviewing several journals about the effect of fasting Ramadan and diet on blood sugar levels in people with diabetes mellitus. The results of this paper show that fasting has a significant effect on reducing blood sugar levels in Diabetes Mellitus patients. Decreased blood sugar levels are also influenced by diet. The conclusion of this writing shows that there is an influence on the decrease in blood sugar levels in people with diabetes mellitus who carry out Ramadan fasting. Then in the relationship between eating patterns, there is a relationship between diet and the incidence of diabetes.