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Meta-Analysis
. 2019 Dec;150(6):546-556.
doi: 10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_1380_17.

Effect of Ramadan fasting on glycaemic parameters & body mass index in type II diabetic patients: A meta-analysis

Neriman Aydin  1 , Seval Kul  2 , Gülendam Karadağ  3 , Suzan Tabur  4 , Mustafa Araz  4
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effect of Ramadan fasting on glycaemic parameters & body mass index in type II diabetic patients: A meta-analysis

Neriman Aydin et al. Indian J Med Res. 2019 Dec.

Abstract

Background & objectives: There has been an ongoing debate about the impact of Ramadan fasting (RF) on the health of these individuals who fast during Ramadan. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the relationship between RF and glycaemic parameters in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients.

Methods: Search terms were decided and databases such as MEDLINE EBSCO, Google Scholar and EMBASE were searched for eligible studies. Standardized mean differences and 95 per cent confidence intervals (CIs) of post-prandial plasma glucose (PPG), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) (%) and fructosamine levels were calculated for different treatment regimens.

Results: Of the 40 studies, 19 were found eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Based on pooled results, significant reductions in FPG were found in single oral antidiabetics (OAD) [standardized weighted mean difference (SMD)=0.47, 95% CI=(0.20-0.74)], multi-OAD [SMD=0.36, 95% CI=(0.11-0.61)] and multitreatment subgroups [SMD=0.65, 95% CI=(0.03-1.27)] and overall [SMD=0.48, 95% CI=(0.27-0.70)]. Furthermore, HbA1c(%) [SMD=0.26, 95% CI=(0.03-0.49)] and body mass index (BMI) [SMD=0.18, 95% CI=(0.04-0.31)] were significantly decreased in the multi-OAD group.

Interpretation & conclusions: The meta-analysis showed that RF was not associated with any significant negative effects on PPG and fructosamine levels. However, BMI and FPG and HbA1c(%) were positively affected by RF.

Keywords: Fasting plasma glucose; Ramadan fasting - T2DM; glycated haemoglobin (%); glycated haemoglobin (%)Fasting plasma glucose; post-prandial plasma glucose.

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Conflict of interest statement

None

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flow diagram of search results.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plot for pre-post Ramadan changes in post-prandial plasma glucose (mg/dl).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Forest plot for pre-post Ramadan changes in fasting plasma glucose (mg/dl).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Forest plot for pre-post Ramadan changes in glycated haemoglobin (%).
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Forest plot for pre-post Ramadan changes in fructosamine.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Forest plot for pre-post Ramadan changes in body mass index.
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