Effects of Fasting in the Bahá'í Faith

Completed

• Conditions: Health Behavior; Healthy

• Registration Number: NCT03443739
• Lead Sponsor: Charite University, Berlin, Germany

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.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2018-02-17
• Study Start: 2018-02-19
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-02-19
• Study First Posted: 2018-02-23
• Primary Completion: 2018-04-30
• Study Completion: 2019-07-31
• Status Verified: 2022-12
• Last Update Submitted: 2022-12-12
• Last Update Posted: 2022-12-14

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 145

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

Exclusion Criteria for subsample (energy metabolism measurements and microdialysis)

• Body Mass Index <18,0 und >30,9 kg/m2, claustrophobia, clinically relevant haemostaseological conditions or medication, vegan diet, special diet out of medical reasons, current dieting for weight loss, weight loss of more than 2 kg in the month before the study commenced, postsurgical conditions, acute and chronic infections, known drug or alcohol abuse
• additional exclusion criteria for microdialysis (subsample of energy metabolism measurements): allergy to local anaesthetics

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
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 Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
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)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Charité; 🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany