Nutritional habit changes during Ramadan and changes in LDL-C and HDL-C levels
The study aimed to investigate the degree to which changes in food intake and meal patterns induced by Ramadan daytime fasting modified serum lipid and lipoprotein parameters in healthy young Algerian volunteers of both genders. Using the method of the “seven day recall and record”, trained interviewers interrogated the subjects before, during and after the Ramadan month. In both genders, total 24-h energy intake was higher during Ramadan than before or after. In the second Ramadan week, carbohydrate intake increased by 22% in men and 24% in women as compared to the periods before and after Ramadan. By the end of the ritual fasting, LDL-C percentages decreased by 20% in women and 55% in men as compared to the pre-Ramadan values. Compared with the periods before and after Ramadan, HLD-C was 1.4-fold higher on day 28 of Ramadan, in both genders. Thus, changes in nutritional habits during Ramadan may temporarily affect LDL-C and HDL-C levels in a way usually considered as beneficial, at least when sustained over the long term.


















