Background

The month of Ramadan will intersect with many football leagues’ schedules over the next decade. Understanding the effects of Ramadan intermittent fasting (RIF) on physical performance is necessary to guide considerations for football players.

Objective

The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effects of RIF on physical factors in football players, and secondarily to consider the impact this may have on domestic club football leagues.

Design

We conducted a systematic review using PRISMA guidelines.

Data Sources

The online literature search utilized CINAHL (EBSCO), Cochrane Library, Embase.com, PubMed, and Scopus databases, and grey literature (all from database inception to May 2020).

Study Selection Criteria

Inclusion criteria consisted of studies of football (soccer) players, data collected during and/or around Ramadan, with injury and/or performance data provided.

Results

The search yielded 11,226 studies. Twenty-two studies were included following a review of titles, abstracts, and full texts. Studies included some iteration of before-Ramadan, during-Ramadan, and after-Ramadan data. Common measures observed included ratings of perceived exertion (n = 8), sprinting (n = 7), sleep (n = 7), peak heart rate (n = 6), jumping (n = 5), Yo-Yo intermittent recovery tests (n = 4), Wingate anaerobic test (n = 3), field-specific tests (n = 3), and injury rates (n = 2). Decreased physical performance was commonly observed during late afternoon/evening testing (before breaking the fast) and with high-intensity exercise.

Conclusion

There appears to be a performance deficit related to RIF in Muslim football players. Studies should explore the effects of RIF on actual match demands. Due to the month of Ramadan emerging into league calendars, considerations should be made to accommodate Muslim football players who are intermittently fasting.

中文翻译：

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斋月间歇性禁食对足球运动员的影响以及对未来十年国内足球联赛的影响：系统回顾

背景

在接下来的十年里，斋月将与许多足球联赛的赛程相交。了解斋月间歇性禁食 (RIF) 对身体表现的影响对于指导足球运动员的考虑是必要的。

客观的

本系统评价的目的是调查 RIF 对足球运动员身体因素的影响，其次考虑这可能对国内俱乐部足球联赛产生的影响。

设计

我们使用 PRISMA 指南进行了系统评价。

数据源

在线文献检索利用了 CINAHL (EBSCO)、Cochrane Library、Embase.com、PubMed 和 Scopus 数据库以及灰色文献（从数据库开始到 2020 年 5 月）。

研究选择标准

纳入标准包括对足球运动员的研究、在斋月期间和/或前后收集的数据，以及提供的受伤和/或表现数据。

结果

搜索产生了 11,226 项研究。在对标题、摘要和全文进行审查后，纳入了 22 项研究。研究包括斋月前、斋月期间和斋月后数据的一些迭代。观察到的常见指标包括感知运动（n  = 8）、短跑（n  = 7）、睡眠（n  = 7）、峰值心率（n  = 6）、跳跃（n  = 5）、溜溜球间歇恢复测试的评级( n  = 4)、Wingate 厌氧测试 ( n  = 3)、现场特定测试 ( n  = 3) 和受伤率 ( n = 2). 在下午晚些时候/晚上测试（打破禁食之前）和高强度运动时，通常会观察到身体表现下降。

结论

穆斯林足球运动员似乎存在与 RIF 相关的表现缺陷。研究应探讨 RIF 对实际匹配需求的影响。由于斋月出现在联赛日历中，应考虑为间歇性禁食的穆斯林足球运动员提供便利。