This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects of 8 weeks of Monday-Thursday Sunnah fasting on fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), fasting total GLP-1, appetite regulation (hunger and satiety area under the curve), dietary intake, and body composition in obese adult males in Indonesia.
Monday-Thursday Sunnah fasting is a twice-weekly Islamic religious practice involving complete abstention from food and water (dry fasting) from dawn (approximately 04:30) to sunset (approximately 18:00), approximately 13 hours per day, practiced by millions of Indonesian Muslims. Unlike conventional intermittent fasting protocols, Sunnah fasting is motivated by religious observance, which may enhance adherence.
Seventy-four obese adult males were enrolled (intervention n=38, control n=36). The intervention group performed 16 fasting days over 8 weeks without any caloric restriction outside fasting hours. Fecal SCFA were measured by GC-MS; fasting total GLP-1 by ELISA; appetite by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS); dietary intake by 24-hour recall; and body composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis.
Primary analyses used linear mixed models (LMM) controlling for baseline differences arising from the sequential allocation design.