The Impact Of Ramadan Fasting On Adrenal Hormones And Cholesterol Among Healthy Iraqi Students

Abstract

Background: The adrenal gland produces several hormones that help regulate the body's metabolism, blood pressure, and response to stress. It is expected that the shift to eating in the evening, the lack of sleep at night and lifestyle changes will have an effect on the circadian rhythm of hormones during Ramadan fasting. This study's objective is to measure the levels of various adrenal hormones and cholesterol during and after Ramadan fasting in the blood of healthy Iraqi students. Method: This case-control study was conducted on forty healthy students from the Fallujah faculty of medicine. The blood was drawn on average at 1:00 p.m. Two times of blood samples were obtained; after the end of the third week of Ramadan fasting, and two weeks after the end of Ramadan for the year 1444 AH.  Plasma epinephrine, aldosterone, and cortisol were measured immediately by ELISA, while cholesterol by spectrophotometer. Results: The blood levels of the adrenal hormones and cholesterol in both sexes, during and after Ramadan, were within the normal values. There are differences in the normal values of the studied compounds between males and females. In Ramadan, the results of adrenal hormones and cholesterol were statistically insignificant between males and females. And also after Ramadan, with the exception of epinephrine and aldosterone, which showed statistical significance between them. Cortisol results showed high statistical significance for both sexes, as well as epinephrine and aldosterone results for males between Ramadan and beyond. While the results of epinephrine, aldosterone, and cholesterol in females showed no statistical significance. Conclusion: Ramadan fasting does not appear to have a significant impact on level of adrenal hormones and cholesterol in the blood of healthy Iraqi students. Highly statistically significant (P < 0.001) results in the male adrenal hormones between Ramadan and after. Both genders display a notable degree of variability in normal values of these compounds.