We report effect of prolonged fasting on blood cholesterol, high and low density lipoprotein, triglycerides, blood pressure, and heart beat in 30 healthy 18-40 year old male volunteers during Ramadan in Kirkuk, Iraq during July 2015. Blood was taken at the 1st and 28th day of the fast. Compared with the 1st day, triglycerides declined 21%, total cholesterol 13%, LDL cholesterol 46% and VLDL cholesterol 17%, but HDL cholesterol increased 56% by day 28 (P< 0.05-0.001). There were slight falls (P < 0.05) in systolic pressure (-4%) but no change in heart rate or diastolic pressure .The very large 56% increase in HDL cholesterol may have been caused by decreased body weight and change in eating habits. We find that in our study, fasting during Ramadan reduced bad cholesterol (LDL) but increases good cholesterol (HDL) and did not affect blood pressure or heart rate.
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