Ramadan Fasting and Diabetes Care

Ramadan defines a monthlong (29–30 day) obligatory fasting for all healthy Muslims. The length of fasting is dependent on one’s geographic location (at some parts of the world the fasting duration can last for up to 18 hours). In this holy month followers must abstain from eating and drinking between dawn and sunset, and must also abstain from using oral medications and smoking. However, exemptions exist for subjects with medical conditions, including diabetes and pregnancy. Interestingly. A large number of Muslims with diabetes fast regardless of this concern; as such, according to a population study, 79% of type 2 diabetic Muslims were observed as fasting worldwide.