Ramadan Fasting Diet Entailed a Lipid Metabolic Disorder Among Type 2 Diabetic Obese Women

We designed this study to assess the effect of diet during Ramadan fasting on body weight and on serum lipid components in type 2 diabetic obese women. During Ramadan of 2005, 89 diabetic women receiving oral treatment (BMI = 33.20±3.01 kg m^-2), aged 52 (±5 years), were selected. The study was carried out over 3 periods-, before (T1: pre-fasting), during (T2: fasting), and after (T3: post-fasting) Ramadan-in Sidi-bel-Abbes city. The daily food intake during the course of 3 days was recorded, and then weight, height, waist and hip circumferences, Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR) were measured. Blood samples were analyzed for total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), apolipoprotein A1 (apoA-I), apolipoprotein B (apoB), triglycerides (TGs), fasting serum glucose (FSG), and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and results were compared using Student’s t-test. The dietary fat consumption increased during Ramadan, especially for the saturated one and as a result induced a major lipid unbalance, marked by a disorder observed in nearly all of the serum lipid components. There was a significant weight loss in diabetic women (-2.56 kg, p<0.05) during T2, correlated with a decrease in meal frequency (r² = 0.313, p<0.01). As well, the level of glucose decreased significantly during T2 (8.23±0.75 mmol L^-1) compared to T1 (9.23±1.08 mmol L^-1). Our study showed a significant weight loss during Ramadan period and an improvement of glucose homeostasis. However, the lipid metabolism was imbalanced and was strongly linked to the Ramadan diet and to the eating habits modification.