Abstract
Ramadan fasting can be considered as a kind of dietary restriction. Eating restriction is a risk factor for later development of eating disorders. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether Ramadan fasting changes the eating behaviours of obese women. Our sample consisted of 34 obese women who fasted during the Ramadan month. The data were collected by using Questionnaire Form, Eating Attitude Test (EAT) and Bulimic Investigatory Test, Edinburgh (BITE). No statistically significant differences were found between the scores of EAT, BITE, BMI, which were administered within the weeks before and after Ramadan. According to our results, Ramadan fasting restrictions do not seem to change the eating behaviours of obese women.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ackard, D. M., & Peterson, C. B. (2001). Association between puberty and disordered eating, body image, and other psychological variables. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 29, 187–194.
al-Hadramy, M. S., Zawawi, T. H., & Abdelwahab, S. M. (1988). Altered cortisol levels in relation to Ramadan. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 42, 359–362.
Benaji, B., Mounib, N., Roky, R., Aadil, N., Houti, I. E., Moussamih, S., et al. (2006). Diabetes and Ramadan: Review of the literature. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 73, 117–125.
Björntorp, P. (1988). The associations between obesity, adipose tissue distribution and disease. Acta Medica Scandinavica, Supplement, 723, 121–134.
Bloomer, R. J., Kabir, M. M., Canale, R. E., Trepanowski, J. F., Marshall, K. E., Farney, T. M., et al. (2010). Effect of a 21 day Daniel Fast on metabolic and cardiovascular disease risk factors in men and women. Lipids Health Disease, 9, 94.
Blundell, J. E., & Cooling, J. (1999). High-fat and low-fat (behavioural) phenotypes: Biology or environment? Proceedings of Nutrition Society, 58, 773–777.
Bogdan, A., Bouchareb, B., & Touitou, Y. (2001). Ramadan fasting alters endocrine and neuroendocrine circadian patterns. Meal-time as a synchronizer in humans? Life Sciences, 68, 1607–1615.
Branca, F., Nikogosian, H., & Lobstein, T. (2007). The challenge of obesity in the WHO European Region and the strategies for response. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe.
Byrne, S. M. (2002). Psychological aspects of weight maintenance and relapse in obesity. Journal Psychosomomatic Research, 53, 1029–1036.
Cserjési, R., Molnár, D., Luminet, O., & Lénárd, L. (2007). Is there any relationship between obesity and mental flexibility in children? Appetite, 49, 675–678.
Değirmenci, T. (2006). Obez erişkinlerde benlik saygısı, yaşam kalitesi, yeme tutumu, depresyon ve anksiyete. Pamukkale Üniversitesi, Tıp Fakültesi, Psikiyatri Anabilim Dalı, Uzmanlık Tezi. Denizli.
Erol, A., Toprak, G., & Yazici, F. (2006). Psychological and physical correlates of disordered eating in male and female Turkish college students. Psychiatry Clinical Neuroscience, 60, 551–557.
Garner, D. M., & Garfinkel, P. E. (1979). The eating attitudes test: An index of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 9, 273–279.
Henderson, M., & Freeman, C. P. (1987). A self-rating scale for bulimia. The “bite”. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 18–24.
Huang, T. T., Harris, K. J., Lee, R. E., Nazir, N., Born, W., & Kaur, H. (2003). Assessing overweight, obesity, diet, and physical activity in college students. The Journal of American College Health, 52, 83–86.
HUIPS (Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies MII). (2004). Turkey demographic and health survey 2003. Calverton: Macro International Inc.
Husain, R., Duncan, M. T., Cheah, S. H., & Ch’ng, S. L. (1987). Effects of fasting in Ramadan on tropical Asiatic Moslems. British Journal of Nutrition, 58, 41–48.
Iraki, L., Bogdan, A., Hakkou, F., Amrani, N., Abkari, A., & Touitou, Y. (1997). Ramadan diet restrictions modify the circadian time structure in humans. A study on plasma gastrin, insulin, glucose, and calcium and on gastric pH. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 82, 1261–1273.
Iseri, A., & Arslan, N. (2009). Obesity in adults in turkey: Age and regional effects. European Journal of Public Health, 19, 91–94.
Jia, W. P., Xiang, K. S., Chen, L., Lu, J. X., & Wu, Y. M. (2002). Epidemiological study on obesity and its comorbidities in urban Chinese older than 20 years of age in Shanghai, China. Obesity Reviews, 3, 157–165.
Kelly, T., Yang, W., Chen, C. S., Reynolds, K., & He, J. (2008). Global burden of obesity in 2005 and projections to 2030. International Journal of Obesity (Lond), 32, 1431–1437.
Keskin, G., Engin, E., & Dulgerler, S. (2010). Eating attitude in the obese patients: The evaluation in terms of relational factors. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 17, 900–908.
Kiran, S. G., Agargun, M. Y., Kara, H., & Kutanis, R. (2000). Eating attitudes and dissociative experiences in college students. 36th National Psychiatry Congress, Antalya, Turkey, 3–7 October 2000.
Pınar, R. (2002). Obezlerde depresyon, benlik ve beden imajı. Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Yüksekokulu Dergisi, 6, 30–41.
Reilly, T., & Waterhouse, J. (2007). Altered sleep-wake cycles and food intake: The Ramadan model. Physiology Behavior, 90, 219–228.
Sanlier, N., Yabanci, N., & Alyakut, Ö. (2008). An evaluation of eating disorders among a group of Turkish university students. Appetite, 51, 641–645.
Sari, K. O., Tzanakis, N. E., Linardakis, M. K., Mamalakis, G. D., & Kafatos, A. G. (2003). Effects of Greek Orthodox Christian Church fasting on serum lipids and obesity. BMC Public Health, 3, 16.
Savasir, I., & Erol, N. (1989). Eating Attitude Test: Anorexia nervosa symptom index. Psikoloji Dergisi, 7, 19–25.
Taylor, C. B., Sharpe, T., Shisslak, C., Bryson, S., Estes, L. S., Gray, N., et al. (1998). Factors associated with weight concerns in adolescent girls. International Journal of Eating Disorder, 24, 31–42.
Trepanowski, J. F., & Bloomer, R. J. (2010). The impact of religious fasting on human health. Nutrition Journal, 9, 57.
Vansant, G., & Hulens, M. (2006). The assessment of dietary habits in obese women: Influence of eating behavior patterns. Eating Disorders, 14, 121–129.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Savas, E., Öztürk, Z.A., Tanrıverdi, D. et al. Do Ramadan Fasting Restrictions Alter Eating Behaviours in Obese Women?. J Relig Health 53, 135–140 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9605-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9605-x