Abstract
4/2021
vol. 38
The COVID-19 pandemic and physical activity during intermittent fasting, is it safe? A call for action
- Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
- Healthy Living for Pandemic Event Protection (HL – PIVOT) Network, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Clinical School the University of Queensland School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Institut Supérieur du Sport et de l’éducation physique de Sfax, Université de Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
- Activité Physique, Sport et Santé, UR18JS01, Observatoire National du Sport, Tunis, Tunisia
- Université de Sousse, Faculté de Médecine de Sousse, Hôpital Farhat HACHED de Sousse, Laboratoire de Recherche «Insuffisance Cardiaque» (LR12SP09), Sousse, Tunisie
- Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar
Biol Sport. 2021:38(4):729-732.
Online publish date: 2021/08/16
Intermittent fasting (IF) has recently gained popularity, and has been used for centuries in many religious practices. The Ramadan fasting is a mandatory form of IF practiced by millions of healthy adult Muslims globally for a whole lunar month every year. In Islam, the “Sunna” also encourages Muslims to practice IF all along the year (e.g.; two days a week). The 2019-Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the context of Ramadan has raised the question whether fasting is safe practice during the COVID-19 pandemic health crisis, and what would be the healthy lifestyle behaviors while fasting that would minimize the risk of infection. As COVID-19 lacks a specific therapy, IF and physical activity could help promote human immunity and be part of holistic preventive strategy against COVID-19. In this commentary, the authors focus on this dilemma and provide recommendations to the fasting communities for safely practicing physical activity in time of COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords
Exercise Training, Fasting, Physical Inactivity, Ramadan, SARS-CoV-2, Sedentary Behavior
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