Does Ramadan Fasting Affect Spirometric Data of Healthy Adolescents?
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Selma Ben Fraj*, Amira Miladi*, Fatma Guezguez, Mohamed Ben Rejeb, Jihène Bouguila, Imen Gargouri, Sonia Rouatbi, Imed Latiri**, Helmi Ben Saad**First Published July 25, 2019 Research Article 
https://doi.org/10.1177/1179556519862280
Article information
  Open Access Creative Commons Attribution, Non Commercial 4.0 License
Abstract
Purpose:
Several studies raised the effects of Ramadan fasting on healthy adults spirometric data, but none was performed in children. The aim of this study was to compare the spirometric data of a group of faster adolescents (n = 26) with an age-matched non-faster one (n = 10).

Methods:
This comparative quasi-experimental study, including 36 healthy males aged 12 to 15 years, was conducted during the summer 2015 (Ramadan: June 18 to July 16). Three sessions (Before-Ramadan [Before-R], Mid-Ramadan [Mid-R], After-Ramadan [After-R]) were selected for spirometry measurements. Spirometry was performed around 5.5 to 3.5 h before sunset and the spirometric data were expressed as percentages of local spirometric norms.

Results:
The two groups of fasters and non-fasters had similar ages and weights (13.35 ± 0.79 vs 12.96 ± 0.45 years, 46.8 ± 9.2 vs 41.7 ± 12.6 kg, respectively). There was no effect of Ramadan fasting on forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1/FVC, peak expiratory flow, and maximal mid-expiratory flow. For example, during the Before-R, Mid-R, and After-R sessions, there was no significant difference between the fasters and non-fasters mean FVC (101 ± 11 vs 99 ± 14, 101 ± 12 vs 102 ± 14, 103 ± 11 vs 104 ± 13, respectively) or FEV1 (101 ± 13 vs 96 ± 16, 98 ± 11 vs 97 ± 16, 101 ± 10 vs 98 ± 16, respectively).

Conclusions:
Ramadan fasting had no interaction effect with the spirometric data of Tunisian healthy male adolescents.

Keywords human, lung, pulmonary function test, religion, teens