Gulf People Gain Weight in The Fasting Month of Ramadan

Ramadan, the Islamic blessed month, has arrived. Muslims across the world will see the crescent moon in the sky on Monday that indicates the beginning of the holy month of fasting.

Religious authorities in much of the Middle East declared on Saturday that the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, will be starting from Monday.

Senior religious councils in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates issued the statements Saturday saying the holy month will start on Monday. They explained the moon's crescent was not sighted after nightfall on Saturday, and so Sunday would be the last day of the month preceding Ramadan.

Thousands of Muslims in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, and most other Gulf States will fast from dawn to dusk, doing without a grain of food or a drop of water for 30 days through Sept. 30. They will look out for the new moon to proclaim the start of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim year, during which all Muslims must fast during the daylight hours.

Ramadan, the major fast of the Islamic year, is a month of the fast of stomach and mind. During the Fast of Ramadan Muslims do not eat or drink during the daylight hours. No smoking or marital relations are allowed. The fast may be broken after sunset with prayer and a meal of dates called the "iftar." The fast is resumed the next morning after a pre-dawn breakfast known as a "suhur."

People often wrongly presume that the one-month practice of refraining from use of food and other calorie-rich diet they would shed their extra pounds. But, new studies carried out by President of the Obesity Organization in the Kuwait Medical Association and Consultant in Endocrinology Dr Yousif Bu Abbas, disprove this assumption.

Dr. Bu Abbas told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that in his studies, carried out in the Persian Gulf region, he found that most people gain between 4-7 kilograms during Ramadan. The reason behind this weight gain among Muslim fasters can be lack of nutritional education in some countries like the Persian Gulf mainly through education or by the media, he said.

Food in the Persian Gulf predominantly depends on carbohydrate-filled rice and desserts that usually contain animal fat like “Halwa”. In the Persian Gulf, people tend to eat much more during the fasting month and do less physical activities at the same time.

In order to balance the food intake and weight gain, exercise is a vital factor in the month of fasting, he suggested. In addition, people should pay more and more attention to the quality and amount of food they eat. They should intake salads and fruits, as well as green tea at the end of each meal.

Dr Bu Abbas is strictly against the habit of sleeping after breakfast, which is common amongst people in the Gulf, and also warns against excessive eating and suggests that one should eat only in case of hunger.

Some other studies, however, showed results contrary to Dr Bu Abbas’ studies. In North African Muslim countries and others including Turkey people lost about 3-5 kg in the holy month.