A review of the impact of intermittent ramadan fasting on wellbeing, nutrition and physical performance in different sports

Background: Athletes in different sports may experience a change in the physical performance during Ramadan Intermittent Fasting (RIF). The impacts of fasting on performance, coping behaviour and fatigue in athletes have not been fully researched. Objective: To examines the effects of Ramadan Intermittent Fasting (RIF) on the physical performance of athletes in different types of sports. The approaches used to assess effects of intermittent fasting among young athletes have not yet been systematically reviewed. Method: Following PRISMA guidelines, 3 independent searches on different databases to identify all the articles describing effects of RIF on physical performance of athletes with all available articles from 2014 up to April 2024. Results: Among 422 articles identified, 31 studies met eligibility criteria. Fourteen studies reported the effect of Ramadan fasting on individual sports, three studies on combat sports, and fourteen studies on team sports. Conclusion: The RIF negatively effects the physical performance, players coping behavior, nutritional status and fatigue capacities in different sports, although, the negative effects are greater for Handball, Basketball, Volleyball, Football and Swimming although the impact is less negative for Tennis, Badminton, Martial arts and Endurance sports. The athletes who maintain their total energy and macronutrient intake, training load, body composition, sleep length and quality are unlikely to suffer any substantial decrements in performance during Ramadan. Adding other recovery methods could improve performance and reduce the fatigue and muscle soreness experienced with increased game frequency during RIF.