The Fifth Pillar of Islam Roza and our Health

By: Dr (Hakeem) Aslam Javed

Fasting and diabetes

Body needs nutritious food for energy which is well supplied through carbohydrate, a type of sugar. The carbohydrate unused is stored around muscles and saved in liver in form of glycogen for later use. Insulin reduces moisture and providing with protein keeps glucose balanced. If glucose increases therein, it transfers to diabetes. When the level of sugar and insulin drops down in blood, fasting fulfills bodily demands transmuting sugar stored in liver into glucose as to effectively maintain the balance in body.

Fasting and immune power

Those who fast in the month of Ramzan entirely change their daily routine. While on fast digestive system is on rest and its energy serves other body parts. Weak immune system is a sign of a weak body. If body is allover healthy and powerful, it results in a solid immune system not easily affected by changing conditions and various diseases like influenza, cough, sneeze, fever and other infectious diseases. Fasting adds to bodily strength and energizes it.

Fasting and obesity

Fasting visibly cuts down on flab because there is a day-long gap between having meals and dissolves unnecessary fat as fasting dries up moisture. It helps press belly in shape. Battle against fat can be won only if dietary balance is maintained in sheri (pre-fast-meal) and Iftaar Having edibles rich in fat, fried items and cold drinks also cause obesity; therefore such articles should be strictly avoided.

Sehri & Iftaar and our health

Fasting improves health but often seen that people complain about digestive problems, piles and diabetes. It is because we do not take care of dietary balance in Sehri and Iftaar and instead of taking healthy food we have spicy items and loads of cold drinks which intensify thirst and when a person drinks too much water his hunger fades away. Due to excess of cold water in body, body temperature drops low and rots the food in stomach which leads to various diseases. The same way having parantha, curd, rice and cold water also creates problem in digestion. Moreover, we go to bet just after having sehri which is really bad from health perspective. We had better use simple and healthy food as to keep up with the spirit of Roza (fasting) and achieve maximum out of it.