TY - JOUR ID - 13521 TI - Body Composition Changes Following Lenten Fasting: A Study in Ethiopia JO - Journal of Nutrition,Fasting and Health JA - JNFH LA - en SN - AU - Sisay, Tariku AU - Teshome, Yonas AU - Chala, Getahun AU - Edae, Chala AD - Addis Ababa University, College of Health Sciences, Department of Physiology AD - Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Debre Berhan, University, Ethiopia AD - Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, Haramaya, University, Harar, Ethiopia AD - Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia Y1 - 2019 PY - 2019 VL - 7 IS - 3 SP - 170 EP - 174 KW - Body composition KW - Lenten Fasting KW - Vegan Diet KW - Anthropometric KW - Non-vegetarian Diet DO - 10.22038/jnfh.2019.40077.1194 N2 - Introduction: The Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) Lenten fasting (Abiy Tsom) is a seven-week period of fasting before Easter. It is a religious fasting practice, which has been less documented in the scientific literature. The present study aimed to investigate effect of EOC fasting with vegan diet practices on body composition parameters. Methods: This prospective study was conducted on 98 subjects (40 females and 58 males) aged 18-40 years, who were willing for Lenten fasting for seven weeks. Several parameters were evaluated and measured, including body weight, height, waist circumference, hip circumference, body mass index (BMI), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). In addition, body fat percentage (BF %) was determined based on skinfold thickness at three sites, including the abdomen, triceps, and suprailiac using a caliper (Holtian Ltd., UK). Results: Weight, BMI, BF%, and fat mass significantly decreased (P< 0.05) during eight weeks of Lenten fasting compared to eight weeks after fasting. The male subjects experienced a more significant reduction in this regard compared to the female subjects. Conclusion: According to the results, adherence to the Lenten diet (vegan diet) decreased anthropometric and body composition parameters more significantly compared to regular mixed diets, which could be potentially associated with improved cardiometabolic health. UR - https://jnfh.mums.ac.ir/article_13521.html L1 - https://jnfh.mums.ac.ir/article_13521_0d657ee41eceb742cc06612cff22361b.pdf ER -