title: Ramadan fasting is not usually associated with the risk of cardiovascular events: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: Over one billion Muslims worldwide fast during the month of Ramadan. Ramadan fasting brings about some changes in the daily lives of practicing Muslims, especially in their diet and sleep patterns, which are associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Over the years, many original studies have made the effort to identify the possible impact of the Ramadan fast on cardiovascular diseases. This systematic review and meta-analysis is an attempt to present the summary of key findings from those articles and an appraisal of selected literature. A systematic search using keywords of ";Ramadan fasting" and ";cardiovascular diseases" was conducted in primary research article and gray-literature repositories, in combination with hand searching and snow balling. Fifteen studies were finally selected for data extraction on the outcomes of stroke, myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure. The analysis revealed that the incidence of cardiovascular events during the Ramadan fast was similar to the nonfasting period. Ramadan fast is not associated with any change in incidence of acute cardiovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Foothills Medical Center, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Department of Community Health Sciences, Foothills Medical Center, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Tanvir C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Turin
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Foothills Medical Center, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Salim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Foothills Medical Center, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Nusrat S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Shommu
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Foothills Medical Center, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Arfan R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Afzal
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, General Directorate of Health Affairs in Tabuk Region, Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al Mamun
authors.affiliation: Department of Faculty of Social Work, Foothills Medical Center, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Mahdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Qasqas
authors.affiliation: Department of Sleep Center, Foothills Medical Center, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Nahid
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rumana
authors.affiliation: Knowledge Resource Service, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vaska
authors.affiliation: Calgary Laboratory Services, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Noureddine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Berka
keywords: Fasting; Ramadan; meta-analysis; systematic review