Intermittent fasting during Ramadan can lead to rapid improvement of rheumatoid arthritis activity, with positive effects lasting up to three months.
In this prospective study, 35 patients with rheumatoid arthritis participated in fasting during Ramadan 2019. Their disease activity was assessed at three different time points: six months prior to the beginning of Ramadan, during the month between the seventh day of fasting and seventh day post Ramadan, and approximately 3.4 months after fasting. The disease activity score 28 was used to evaluate the activity of the disease.
A significant decrease in all disease activity parameters was observed from the time six months prior to Ramadan to the time during fasting, followed by a gradual increase of clinical and biological outcomes between the end of fasting and the months following. However, the decrease of specific disease indicators that resulted from the Ramadan fast was maintained until the time point 3.4 months after fasting, despite the increasing trend. Thus, the overall improvements from fasting were found to be sustained for at least 3 months after the end of the Ramadan fasting period.
