Fasting could lower risk of chronic kidney disease

The practice has been linked to the prevention or better control of diabetes and high blood pressure, major causes of chronic kidney disease

- Amrita Kaur

During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims refrain from consuming food and water from sunrise to sunset. It is akin to intermittent fasting, and both practices have been associated with improved kidney health, among other potential health benefits.

Though the religious and cultural contexts differ, fasting during Ramadan and intermittent fasting share several similarities.

The duration of daily fasting during Ramadan varies according to the time from sunrise to sunset in a particular location. Muslims in Singapore began fasting on March 12 in 2024, and typically fast for about 13 hours each day.

Intermittent fasting, on the other hand, is voluntary. The 16/8 method, for example, also known as time-restricted eating, involves fasting for 16 hours a day and leaving an eight-hour window during the day to eat.

Comparing the two, Dr Wong Weng Kin, a senior consultant nephrologist at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, says fasting during Ramadan and daily time-restricted eating are similar, as individuals eat only at specific times a day.

However, fasting during Ramadan requires a Muslim to abstain from food and drink during fasting hours, while people can still consume water and other zerocalorie drinks during intermittent fasting periods.

Both fasting practices appear to improve kidney health, a growing area of concern.

The Straits Times recently reported that for every one million Malays, 459 required dialysis in 2022, compared with 150 per million for Chinese, and 183 for the Indian population.

A study published in the Saudi Journal of Kidney Diseases and Transplantation in 2010 found that patients with chronic kidney disease experienced enhanced kidney function after fasting throughout the month of Ramadan.