Impact of Ramadan fasting on psychology, anthropometric measurements and performance for soccer players

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Eddie Hanley

Impact of Ramadan fasting on psychology, anthropometric measurements and performance for soccer players



       This article discusses the effects of religious fasting, in this case Muslims in observance of Ramadan, on the  mental health, anthropometric measurements, and performance of individuals. The researchers studied male individuals between 18 - 26 years of age using a subjective self-report style survey for psychology and concrete BMI measurements for muscle mass and body weight once before the fast and once four weeks into the Ramadan. The participants reported that  there was a negative effect on a wide array of measurements due to the fast. The study found that individuals reported less regular sleep patterns, a significant decrease in body weight, body mass, and percentage of body fat. Interestingly however, the researcher found that participants reported that the fasting did not significantly affect muscle mass, physical performance, measured by various running speeds, or cognitive abilities such as concentration on the task, in this case the soccer game. 


     This article opens the floor for discussion for the discrepancy found between a decrease in some performance related measures while there was no significant decrease in other seemingly related performance measures. Throughout the semester the brain-body relationship has been examined in terms of how the brain dictates to the body, based on its signals, how its metabolism should work. As a lack of sufficient food and its related nutrients sets in, the brain begins to use stored fat, slowing down metabolic activity to consume less energy, and prioritizing that energy to go to brain functioning. This knowledge helps make sense of this research, as the participant's reporting of what they subjectively felt to be a regular cognitive capacity, combined with a decrease in body fat, seems to fit in perfectly with the scientific consensus. One of the things know to occur in extreme starvation is the consumption of muscle tissue by a body as a last-ditch effort to supply the brain with energy. This seemingly has not occurred with this study, as the individuals have probably not fasted long enough being only on the fourth week. One of the biggest shortcomings of this study is its participant selection, which consists of entirely Muslim men whom are used to fasting for their holiday. One could expect results to be statistically different if women were studied as well as if non-Muslim participants were surveyed whom were not used to fasting for long periods, 

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