Ramadan & Diabetes

Over the last few years, the surgery has run an event – often in association with Dr Idris, Diabetologist from the hospital – to discuss the sensible precautions for diabetic patients to take while observing their fasting season of Ramadan. During the current pandemic it is not safe to run this session this year.

This year Ramadan starts on Thursday the 23^rd of April and finishes on Saturday the 23^rd of May. The longer daylight hours at this time of year makes fasting a challenge for those with medical conditions like diabetes. Fasting is recognised in many cultures as a way to promote good health and intermittent fasting can be beneficial for blood glucose control.

There is an excellent website called Knowdiabetes which has an updated content on Ramadan, as well as a lot of wellbeing, physical activity, healthy eating including recipes and mental health information. Anyone can register on the website to access more content.

https://www.knowdiabetes.org.uk/be-healthier/ramadan/

Other useful resources include NHS Employers recommendations:

https://www.nhsemployers.org/news/2020/04/ramadan-2020

Please see the following information from Diabetes UK & others for People with Diabetes.

For People with Diabetes who choose to fast this diabetes UK resource has useful information regarding safer fasting during Ramadan and includes a factsheet

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/ramadan

A guide (written by London based specialists at Imperial and Barts) is also available from the Muslim Council of Britain

http://www.mcb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Ramadan-and-diabetes-A-guide-for-patients-2013.pdf

For People with Diabetes for whom fasting would be inadvisable, duties may be completed by offering charity or providing food to the poor. Local Imams will be able to advise on these options.

The following article (free to all) has comprehensive guidance for diabetes and Ramadan. This includes discussion of each class of oral hypoglycaemic and information around adjustments to glucose lowering regimes. Figure 1 from the article is a useful flow chart to follow.

https://drc.bmj.com/content/3/1/e000108

The Carbs and Cals World Foods Book is available and provides accessible and easy to use information regarding food & drink for African, Arabic, Caribbean and South Asian communities in the UK, using the tried and tested Carbs & Cals format. https://www.carbsandcals.com/books/world-foods

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