BACKGROUND Intermittent fasting is an annual religious practice of Muslims worldwide, which affects the physiology of the body due to lifestyle alterations. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Ramadan fasting on the HRV, an indirect measure of cardiac sympathetic stress. METHODS This study included 80 healthy Lebanese females (aged 18-25 years old) monitored for 24 h when following normal routine; 38 and 42 females were enrolled before and during Ramadan, respectively. RESULTS Our results reveal no effect of fasting on HRV; there was insignificant change in HRV between the first and last weeks of Ramadan (P > 0.05). Morning fasting was significantly the least stressful period (lowest HR, P < 0.001), with lower HR compared with non-fasting day (P < 0.001). Therefore, Ramadan fasting does not alter the autonomic nervous activity of the heart, neither HRV levels. CONCLUSIONS This may imply that intermittent fasting is a risk-free practice, which does not interfere with the cardiac autonomic nervous system function.

中文翻译：

---

斋月禁食对心率变异性的影响，以衡量黎巴嫩队列中的心脏压力。

背景技术间歇性禁食是全世界穆斯林的年度宗教习俗，其由于生活方式的改变而影响身体的生理。这项研究旨在评估斋月禁食对HRV的影响，HRV是心脏交感神经应激的间接指标。方法：本研究包括80名健康的黎巴嫩女性（年龄在18-25岁之间），在遵循常规程序后进行了24小时的监测。在斋月之前和期间，分别招募了38和42名女性。结果我们的结果显示，禁食对HRV没有影响。在斋月的第一周和最后一周之间，HRV的变化不明显（P> 0.05）。早上空腹是压力最小的时期（最低的HR，P <0.001），与非空腹的一天相比，HR较低（P <0.001）。因此，斋月的禁食不会改变心脏的自主神经活动，也不会改变HRV的水平。结论这可能意味着间歇性禁食是一种无风险的做法，不会干扰心脏自主神经系统功能。