Abstract
Ramadan is a period of daylight abstention from solid or liquid nutrients. Although Ramadan fast starts from early adolescence, previous studies have focused mainly on health- and/or endurance performance-related aspects of the Ramadan participation in adult Muslims. Children are mostly engaged in multiple-sprint sports (e.g. soccer, basketball, tennis). To date, however, the effects of Ramadan on the ability to reproduce sprint performance in the young population are unclear. PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of the Ramadan fast on the ability of young children to perform repeated running sprints. METHODS: Sixteen young children (age: 12.4±1.6 years) performed 6 × 15 m sprints in alternating directions interspersed with 15 s of passive recovery. This procedure was conducted at the same time of the day (between 1 and 2 pm) one week before Ramadan (BR), during Ramadan after 7 and 25 days (DR1 and DR2, respectively) and two weeks after (AR) Ramadan. RESULTS: There were significant sprint number (P<0.001) and test session (P<0.01) main effects on sprint times but there was no interaction between these two factors. The sum of the six sprint times differed (P=0.02) across test sessions. Compared with BR (18.19±0.41s), total sprint times lengthened during Ramadan (DR1: 18.48±0.39s; P>0.05 and DR2: 18.65±0.39s; P=0.05) and remained significantly elevated by AR (18.62±0.46s; P<0.05). Initial sprint performance (2.93±0.07, 2.96±0.06, 2.97±0.05 and 2.96±0.06s BR, DR1, DR2 and AR, respectively) and sprint decrement score (3.7±0.9, 4.1±0.6, 4.7±0.4 and 4.8±0.6 BR, DR1, DR2 and AR, respectively) did not change throughout the study. CONCLUSION: In a group of young children, mean sprint performance during from repeated sprinting was altered toward the end of the Ramadan month and this effect persisted for at least two weeks, while fatigue resistance was not affected. Pending confirmatory research, this reduced ability of young children to repeat running sprints may be linked to limitations in energy supply including an altered glycolytic capacity or a slower replenishment of muscle creatine phosphate stores.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
