Effect of diurnal intermittent fasting during Ramadan on ghrelin, leptin, melatonin, and cortisol levels among overweight and obese subjects: A prospective observational study
Al-Rawi N, Madkour M, Jahrami H, Salahat D, Alhasan F, BaHammam A, Al-Islam Faris M
PloS one · 78 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Cohort study (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- University or hospital
- University of Sharjah
- University or hospital
- American University of Sharjah
- Grants
- University of Sharjah (VCRG/R1061/2016); American University of Sharjah (VCRG/R1061/2016)
Based on 2 listed funder(s) and full-text disclosure statement.
Publication
- Published
- 2020-08-26 · PLoS One · vol. 15 · issue 8 · p. e0237922
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science
- Cited
- 114 citations · more than 97% of similar papers · 6.2× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 69 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Dietary Effects on Health · Circadian rhythm and melatonin · Diet and metabolism studies
- Keywords
- Ghrelin, Leptin, Internal medicine, Melatonin, Endocrinology, Circadian rhythm, Medicine, Overweight, Hormone, Appetite, Obesity
- MeSH
- humans, obesity, melatonin, hydrocortisone, leptin, lipids, diet, fasting, prospective studies, sleep, energy intake, circadian rhythm, adult, female, male, hemodynamics, ghrelin
7 authors
From AE, BH, SA
- Natheer Hashim Al-RawiUniversity of Sharjah
- Mohamed Ibrahim MadkourUniversity of Sharjah
- Haitham JahramiMinistry of Health; Arabian Gulf University
- Dana SalahatUniversity of Sharjah
- Fatima AlhasanUniversity of Sharjah
- Ahmed Salem BaHammamKing Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology; King Saud University
Abstract
Background
Levels of cortisol, melatonin, ghrelin, and leptin are highly correlated with circadian rhythmicity. The levels of these hormones are affected by sleep, feeding, and general behaviors, and fluctuate with light and dark cycles. During the fasting month of Ramadan, a shift to nighttime eating is expected to affect circadian rhythm hormones and, subsequently, the levels of melatonin, cortisol, ghrelin, and leptin. The present study aimed to examine the effect of diurnal intermittent fasting (DIF) during Ramadan on daytime levels of ghrelin, leptin, melatonin, and cortisol hormones in a group of overweight and obese subjects, and to determine how anthropometric, dietary, and lifestyle changes during the month of Ramadan correlate with these hormonal changes.
Methods
Fifty-seven overweight and obese male (40) and female (17) subjects were enrolled in this study. Anthropometric measurements, dietary intake, sleep duration, and hormonal levels of serum ghrelin, leptin, melatonin, and salivary cortisol were assessed one week before the start of Ramadan fasting and after 28 days of fasting at fixed times of the day (11:00 am-1:00 pm).
Results
At the end of Ramadan, serum levels of ghrelin, melatonin, and leptin significantly (P<0.001) decreased, while salivary cortisol did not change compared to the levels assessed in the pre-fasting state.
Conclusions
DIF during Ramadan significantly altered serum levels of ghrelin, melatonin, and serum leptin. Further, male sex and anthropometric variables were the most impacting factors on the tested four hormones. Further studies are needed to assess DIF's impact on the circadian rhythmicity of overweight and obese fasting people.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
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