D

espite the many merits of Ramadan fasting, some are advised against conducting it when the risks outweigh the benefits, a panel of internal disease experts warned the public Wednesday.

"Fasting can be beneficial for one's health, especially when carried out properly," said Dr Siti Setiati, during a symposium on Ramadan fasting. However, she continued, some are prone to health ailments due to their already fragile conditions.

"Older people are often more pious and take fasting, along with other religious conducts, such as night praying, more seriously," Dr. Siti said, adding that while fasting and praying if done moderately could be beneficial, it could backfire if done excessively.

"You can carry out fidyah if your health condition is too poor."

Fidyah is an act of feeding or giving alms to the less fortunate in lieu of conducting the Ramadan fast.

Those vulnerable to experiencing illnesses due to fasting are the diabetics and elderly who suffer geriatric syndromes, the panel said.

Fasting might be hazardous for those in the higher stage of diabetes, said Dr. Dante Saksono, another speaker at the symposium.

"Diabetics whose conditions are manageable through diet and one form of oral medicine, and have no complications, are at less risk," Dr Dante said.

However, he continued, the ones who are dependent on insulin, on multiple medications, and live by themselves, are exposed to higher risks, especially during fasting.

Diabetes is currently a considerable threat to the city's residents, he explained.

"The latest survey done by the University of Indonesia's Medical Faculty revealed that 12.4 percent of Jakarta residents have diabetes. Thus, roughly one in eight persons have the disease," he said, adding that the number in Depok amounts to 13.8 percent.

Those suffering from dyspepsia or gastritis are not necessarily affected by Ramadan fasting, though, said Dr. Ari Fahrial Syam who was also speaking at the symposium.

"According to a 2001 study, 86.41 percent of the country's dyspepsia cases are functional," he said, before explaining that functional cases were rarely serious and often psychological in nature, or caused by unhealthy habits such as eating too many fatty snacks or drinking too much coffee.

People suffering from organic dyspepsia, which can be caused by tumors or ulcers, could still carry out Ramadan fasting providing the necessary medications, while those with functional dyspepsia might actually fi nd that their conditions improved when fasting.

The symposium's participants were enthusiastic and voiced various questions regarding their conditions. Sutarjo, one of the participants, explained that he was a diabetic dependent on two doses of insulin a day, and had a history of hypoglycemia.

"When I suffered from hypoglycemia, my doctor said, *You can replace your fasting later on, but your life cannot be replaced. Can you comment on that?" he asked the panel. Dr. Siti replied that fasting was too risky for him and that he should conduct fi dyah instead. (dis)

RAMADAN FASTING TIPS

Dyspepsia/gastritis
- Avoid fatty foods, acidic food, and those prone to induce gas, such as cabbage
- Avoid coffee and alcohol
- Avoid food that takes time to be digested, such as cheese and cakes.

Diabetes
- Consult your doctor to adjust your medication schedule
- Monitor your blood sugar level closely during the fi rst week of fasting
- Eat a combination of complex and noncomplex carbohydrate foods such as date fruit when breaking fast, and eat complex carbohydrate food during the sahur (predawn meal).
- Avoid dehydration. Do not drink a large amount of water during sahur, but give your body good liquid supply by drinking water frequently after breaking fast