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very year, Muslims perform month-long fasting during Ramadhan, when they refrain from eating food, drinking liquids, having sex and smoking from dawn until sunset.

This period involves a shift in the pattern of intake from daytime to the hours of darkness.

It is a religious obligation for Muslims, except for the sick, women who are menstruating or pregnant, breastfeeding mothers and the elderly.

During Ramadhan some people become '€œgreedy'€ as they tend to be ravenous for food and beverages. Many Muslims buy and stock up a lot of food and beverages in the refrigerator before Ramadhan starts.

They eat a big portion of food every time they break the fast. This unhealthy attitude, however, is not the domain of Muslims only as many non-Muslims also eat big portions of food in Ramadhan.

Usually, non-Muslims get many invitations to attend breaking-of-the-fast events. They eat a lot of food at the events, while they also eat in daylight.

This attitude can cause obesity and prompt degenerative diseases, such as coronary heart disease.
No wonder cases of coronary heart disease increase during Ramadhan.

If fasting is conducted like a calorie-restricted diet program, Muslims can acquire several advantages for their own health.

Two important theories are the free radical theory and the glycation theory, both of which can explain how calorie restrictions can work.

With a huge amount of energy available, mitochondria in our cells do not operate very efficiently and generate more superoxide toxins. With a calorie-restriction program during fasting, energy is conserved and there is less free radical generation.

A calorie-restricted organism will have less fat and require less energy to support weight, which also means there does not need to be as much glucose in the bloodstream. Less blood glucose means less glycation of adjacent proteins and less fat to oxidize in the bloodstream that can cause sticky blockages resulting in atherosclerosis.

To maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, it is necessary to have a diet that is balanced enough in terms of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vitamins.

It is best to avoid too much fat, sugar, salt and caffeine and to always choose fresh non-processed food. It is important to drink at least seven glasses of water a day '€” three in the morning at sahur (pre-dawn meal) and four in the evening.

Fifty percent of food should be consumed at the time when you break your fast, 10 percent after the tarawih (evening) prayer and 40 percent at sahur time.

It is best to break the fast with food such as dates that will quickly release glucose into the bloodstream.

Let the stomach rest for one hour after breaking the fast before eating rice or anything more substantial.

It is true that we will feel tired in the first week of fasting. This is normal and indicates that our body needs time to adapt.

Avoid strenuous activity during the fasting month, but do not let yourself get lazy.

Low activity is an effect of laziness and hunger at daytime. People usually cannot cope or adapt to the emaciation process at noon. They do not know when the right time is to exercise.

This condition tends to make many Muslims fall victim to obesity.

Sleeping disturbance is also a problem in the fasting month. People tend to be awake at night and sleepy in daytime.

Such sleeping disorder can make many Muslims very emotional during the day especially in strenuous situations, such as in traffic jams.

Eating high-calorie food, low activity and changes in sleeping times cause many physical and psychological disturbances to the human body. It will happen if Muslims do not fast according to sharia and in a healthy manner.

The Prophet Muhammad told Muslims not to overdo daily activities, including their eating behavior. The Prophet also told us to break the fast with sweet drinks or food, but not to overeat.

He also taught us to control emotions and remain healthy even in stressful circumstances. The aim of fasting is to control human desires and emotions through the emaciation process.

This aim will not be achieved if Muslims over-indulge in eating and drinking and do not control their emotions.

During Ramadhan people tend to become consumerist as they usually buy many expensive clothes and household appliances. They are tricked by many discounts offered by malls and other shopping places. This is an example of an unhealthy community.

The Prophet Muhammad taught Muslims not to be spendthrifts. He taught us to spend only on something that we need. He also educated Muslims to allocate funds for zakat (alms) and infaq (donations) for the poor people and orphans in Ramadhan.

Ramadhan is not only about shifting the pattern of intake from daytime to the hours of darkness, but also for Muslims to control their emotions to get through the fast.

However, it is very hard to cope with stress and to control our emotions when our stomachs are empty.
This stress is in turn a major risk factor for the development of physical and psychological illnesses.

Through Ramadhan, it is believed that cortisol rises as an adaptation phenomenon to control emaciation in fasting people. Cortisol can be a stress hormone which allows for physical and psychological adaptation to stress. Besides that, plasma levels of beta-endorphin rises in fasting people. High levels of endogenous opioids can decrease the desire and craving for abusive substances such as methamphetamine.

Finally, if Muslims fast according to sharia and in a healthy manner, they will get enough advantages from fasting including good deeds and good health. Stay healthy in Ramadhan, people!

The writer, a medical doctor, lives in Jakarta.