Fasting beneficial for patients suffering from high blood pressure, heart diseases

Rawalpindi:A month-long fasting in Ramazan may prove to be beneficial for patients suffering from high blood pressure or heart diseases provided they have not been facing any complications of the disease and they have taken proper guidance from their physicians.

Health experts say that generally, it is observed that the majority of the patients suffering from hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, feel a lot better under Islamic fasting. Also most of the heart patients do not face any complications while fasting though to get maximum benefits of fasting, such patients need proper advice from their physicians on food and medication while opting for regular fasting in the holy month of Ramazan. Medically, it is proven that fasting in accordance with the Islamic principles has great physical, spiritual and psychological benefits both for the healthy persons and the patients suffering from hypertension or heart diseases. Experts say that almost all body functions get regulated through fasting, which certainly helps control blood pressure.

Islamic fasting is a natural way to normalize body weight and it dissolves all unnecessary and unnatural fats deposits in the body, reducing risk factors of heart attack and a number of other diseases.

It is important that the main risk factors for heart disease and stroke include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, obesity, lack of exercise, unhealthy diet (high sugar, high carbohydrate and excess hydrogenated oils) and stress which can be avoided while fasting. Fasting being a great source of discipline and contentment keeps a person away from all the scourge of modern life that results in diseases like high blood pressure and heart attacks.

Experts say that to get benefits from fasting, both healthy persons and chronic patients should take care of their diet while fasting. Patients suffering from heart diseases or hypertension should avoid excessive use of beef, vanaspati ghee, margarine, hydrogenated vegetable oils, refined flour products, instant rice, potatoes and cream not only in Ramazan but in routine too. Heart patients should avoid Trans fats found in French fries, chips, crackers, cakes, biscuits, samosas, pakoras, patties, sweets, vanaspati ghee and hydrogenated oils.

Health experts suggest that a heart patient while opting for fasting should eat more vegetables especially leafy vegetables and salads. Heart patients should eat fruits but avoid fruit trifles. They should use more lemon. They may use milk and yogurt but without cream. It is ideal for heart patients to use brown flour/bread and take simple ‘chapatti’ instead of ‘parathas’. Patients suffering from high blood pressure or heart diseases can have one teaspoonful of honey and few dates daily. However, they must be careful in using salt and spices and should use less salt and spices. A heart patient while opting for fasting should drink a lot of water between ‘Iftar’ and ‘Sehr’.

It is important that in most of the cases of heart diseases, the dose of anti-hypertensive drugs is decreased during fasting provided a patient avoids oily and salty food at the time of ‘Sehr’ and ‘Iftar’ and for that heart patients must consult their physicians before going for fasting. Also the patients who have angina or had a heart attack in the recent past, must undergo examination prior to opting for fasting. One should also limit the amount of sweet food in Ramazan and should consume a moderate amount of food at the time of ‘Sehr’ and ‘Iftar’.