Impact Of Ramadan Fasting on Physical Fitness: A Literature Review

Abstract

Background: Ramadan fasting, which is abstaining from food and beverages from sunrise to sunset. Many physiological systems linked to physical performance might be impacted by Ramadan fasting. The impact of fasting on physical fitness should be understood by medical experts, athletes, and the public who exercise during Ramadan.

Objective: Millions of healthy Muslim adults around the world follow Ramadan Intermittent Fasting (RIF), a special type of religious fasting. This study of the literature aims to gather the existing data and investigate the effects of Ramadan fasting on anaerobic power, muscle strength, body composition, psychological problems, behaviour, and aerobic capacity, among other elements of physical fitness.

Search Strategy: A systematic search of Google Scholar and PubMed (2011–2025) using Ramadan, fasting, physical performance, and muscle strength as keyword was conducted using only English-language, peer-reviewed human studies that passed the screening process for design, performance-related outcomes, and relevance.

Conclusion: Ramadan fasts often do not cause appreciable long-term decreases in physical fitness when the right adaption strategies are employed. The findings highlight how crucial it is to plan exercise, stay hydrated after iftar, and control sleep in order to sustain optimal performance. It is recommended to do additional research using larger samples and a specified methodology in order to resolve conflicting findings between studies.