Pregnant during Ramadan? Here's how to reduce risks while fasting

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-02-16 06:00

International

Beautiful Dates in cup with prayer Beads photography on light pink background. Photo by Rauf Alvi on Unsplash

If you’re pregnant and wanting to fast for Ramadan next month, a high-fat diet outside of fasting hours might reduce some negative effects, according to international researchers. The team looked at 326 Muslim women who delivered their baby in Germany, and found fasting during pregnancy was associated with a reduced birthweight, especially when fasting during the first trimester. However, this effect was reduced for women who consumed a high-fat diet outside of fasting hours, the team found. While further research is needed and women should always seek guidance from healthcare professionals, this simple information could help reduce the risk of low birthweight from fasting during Ramadan, the team says.

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Journal/
conference: PLOS ONE

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Johannes Gutenberg-University, Germany

Funder: This research was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG, https://www.dfg.de/), grant 260639091 (awarded to RvE). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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