- People breaking fast during Iftar at a mosque in Bur Dubai. A study shows fasting can raise your levels of good cholesterol.
Dubai: People who fast during Ramadan are doing themselves a big favour healthwise as fasting reduces the risk of heart attack, a pioneering Dubai study has shown.
The study, conducted on 37 volunteers who agreed to have their blood samples taken on three different occasions during Ramadan last year, showed a 15-per cent average drop in triglycerides (TG) levels and 10.9 per cent drop in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), two of the main risk factors for heart attack.
Dr Omar Kamel Hallak, Chief of the Interventional Cardiology Department at the American Hospital Dubai, who led a five-man research team, said it was the first time such a study showed a consistent link between fasting and lipid profile, he said.
Lipid profile is a collective measure of a person’s total cholesterol, high high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL, or the “good” cholesterol), LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) and TG (triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood).
In general, higher HDL cuts the risk of heart disease, while high levels of LDL and triglycerides make people prone to it.
The study also measured other parameters such as body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and glucose. Muslims fit to fast are enjoined to abstain from food for 14 hours from dawn to dusk during Ramadan.
The study, conducted on 37 volunteers who agreed to have their blood samples taken on three different occasions during Ramadan last year, showed a 15-per cent average drop in triglycerides (TG) levels and 10.9 per cent drop in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), two of the main risk factors for heart attack.
Dr Omar Kamel Hallak, Chief of the Interventional Cardiology Department at the American Hospital Dubai, who led a five-man research team, said it was the first time such a study showed a consistent link between fasting and lipid profile, he said.
Lipid profile is a collective measure of a person’s total cholesterol, high high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL, or the “good” cholesterol), LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) and TG (triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood).
In general, higher HDL cuts the risk of heart disease, while high levels of LDL and triglycerides make people prone to it.
The study also measured other parameters such as body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and glucose. Muslims fit to fast are enjoined to abstain from food for 14 hours from dawn to dusk during Ramadan.
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