KARACHI: Lesser people have strokes in Ramazan due to decreased tobacco use, better blood pressure and diabetes control as well as low cholesterol, leading health experts said on Wednesday.
They urged people to take advantage of the month of fasting for brain and mental health in addition to overcoming addiction of tobacco and other addictive substances.
Fasting is also beneficial for mental health as it decreases anxiety and panic attacks, stabilizes mood in patients of bipolar disorder, increases ability to manage stress and has better effects on mania and hypomanic, they further claimed adding that fasting regulates some important neurotransmitters, which help in better mental and brain health.
“In addition to improving mental health, studies have shown that fasting delays the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease while it improves tremor in Parkinson’s disease as well in the Essential Tremor disorder. Fasting can also help patients having epilepsy and frequent migraines”, Prof Muhammad Wasey, consultant neurologist said while speaking at 8th International Diabetes and Ramadan Conference 2022, which is underway here at a local hotel in Karachi.
Dozens of national and international experts from Middle East, North Africa, Europe, South and Far Eastern countries as well as different cities of Pakistan are attending the conference, which is jointly organized by the Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE) Karachi in collaboration with Ramadan and Hajj Study Group Pakistan, National Association of Diabetes Educators of Pakistan (NADEP) as well as Diabetes and Ramazan (DaR) International Alliance.
Prof. Wasey maintained that fasting also helped people in improving and regaining their sense of taste who complained that their sense of taste deteriorated after getting infected with COVID-19 but called for further research on sustained effects of short and long-term fasting as well as effects of fasting on community health.
Another health expert and consultant nephrologist Dr. Bilal Jamil said although fasting is hazardous for people with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) with pre-exiting cardiovascular disease but added that most of the patients with CKD could fast under supervision and advised patients with CKD stage 3 and 4 to consult their physicians before start of the month of Ramadan.
Chairman of the scientific session, Prof. Dr. Tahir Hussain said experts from different fields of medical science have proven with their scientific presentations at the conference that by and large fasting is safe for people with diabetes, mental and neurological disorders, cardiovascular and stable kidney diseases as well as pregnant women but such patients should consult their physicians before start of holy month of Ramadan.
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