Health Behavior, Healthy
Conditions
Keywords
Intermittent Fasting, Religious Fast, Bahá'í, Hydration, Calorimetry, Microdialysis, circadian clock, circadian rhythm, spirituality, self-efficacy
Brief summary
The aim of the study is to find out the effects a specific religious fast (i.e. Bahá'í fast) has on certain metabolic parameters, hydration, psyche and circadian clock. In a follow-up questionnaire series in 2019 we want to additionally validate a specific questionnaire for Bahai fasting, which was developed in 2018.
Detailed description
Followers of the Bahá'í Faith worldwide follow a yearly fasting tradition, where they fast intermittently for nineteen days. The intermittent fast is defined as abstinence from any food, drink and smoking from sunrise until sunset. These nineteen days are always in March and so do not coincide with climatic extremes in any country worldwide. This makes this kind of fasting a good model to study the psychological and medical effects of intermittent fasting in humans.
Interventions
OTHERIntermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting with abstinence from food and drink daily from sunrise to sunset for nineteen consecutive days in March 2018
Sponsors
Universität Münster
Charite University, Berlin, Germany
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 69 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* member of the Bahá'í religious community, Age between 18-69 years, the study participant must be able to understand the instructions given to him by the study personnel, the performance of the religious fast is planned in 2018 (and for the validation of the questionnaire also in 2019)
Exclusion criteria
* An interruption of the religious fast is planned for more than five days, pregnant and nursing women, severe internistic condition, eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia), terminal or severe disease with marked impairments in mobility and vitality, non-existence of email address and Internet Access (because of online questionnaires), severe psychiatric disorder, simultaneous participation in another Trial
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Serum Osmolarity | 12 hours | Measured in subsample of study participants (venous blood sample) osmol/l |
| In 2019: Validation of new questionnaire | 1 hour | New questionnaire, developed in 2018, regarding Bahai fasting |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Urine Osmolality | 24 hours | Measured in subsample of participants, in spontaneous Urine sample and 12h/24h Urine samples osmol/kg |
| Acid-base balance | 5 Minutes | Measured in subsample of study participants (venous blood sample) Measured with Radiometer, Base excess (mmol/l) |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Indirect calorimetry | 2 hours | Measured in subsample of study participants |
| Questionnaire: HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score) | 5 Minutes | Anxiety and depression |
| Activation of clock genes | 3 Minutes | Measured in subsample of study participants Measured in monocytes |
| Individual Interview | 30 Minutes, three times during study | Measured in subsample of study participants |
| Systolic and diastolic blood pressure | 5 Minutes | Measured in subsample of study participants Measured by clinician, mmHg |
| BMI | 10 Minutes | Measured in subsample of study participants Quantitative, kg/m2 |
| Microdialysis | 3 hours | Measured in subsample of study participants |
Countries
Germany
Outcome results
None listed