Christian Orthodox fasting in practice: A comparative evaluation between Greek Orthodox general population fasters and Athonian monks

• Published in: Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) Los Angeles County, Calif.), 2019-03, Vol.59, p.69-76
• Main Authors: Karras, Spyridon N., Koufakis, Theocharis, Petróczi, Andrea, Folkerts, Dirk, Kypraiou, Maria, Mulrooney, Hilda, Naughton, Declan P., Persynaki, Angeliki, Zebekakis, Pantelis, Skoutas, Dimitrios, Kotsa, Kalliopi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 25-Hydroxyvitamin D; Adult; Anthropometry; Body fat; Body Mass Index; Body size; Calcium homeostasis; Cardiometabolic markers; Christian Orthodox fasting; Diet; Diet, Mediterranean; Diet, Vegetarian - methods; Dietary intake; Eastern Orthodoxy; Fasting; Greece; Health promotion; Humans; Hyperparathyroidism; Insulin; Lipids; Male; Meat; Mediterranean diet; Middle Aged; Minerals; Monasteries; Monks; Nutrient intake; Nutrition research; Nutritional Status; Olive oil; Parathyroid; Parathyroid hormone; Population; Population studies; Religious orthodoxy; Vegetarian diet; Vegetarianism; Vitamins; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0899-9007; 1873-1244
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2018.07.003

•Orthodox fasting (OF) is a periodical vegetarian subset of the Mediterranean diet.•We evaluated OF effects in general population fasters (GF) and Athonian monks (AM).•AM demonstrated lower BMI, Body Fat Mass and HOMA-IR values compared to GF.•The results highlight the unique characteristics of Athonian OF as a health-promoting diet.•Limitation of specific vitamins and minerals during OF warrants further investigation. Christian Orthodox fasting (COF), a periodical vegetarian subset of the Mediterranean diet, has been proven to exert beneficial effects on human health. Athonian fasting is a pescetarian COF variation, where red meat is strictly restricted throughout the year. Previous studies have examined the COF nutritional synthesis and health effects in general population fasters (GF) and Athonian monks (AM), separately. The aim of this study is to comparatively evaluate the characteristics and effects of this nutritional advocacy between the two populations. The study included 43 male GFs (20–45 y of age) and 57 age-matched male AMs following COF. Dietary intake data were collected in both groups during a restrictive (RD) and a nonrestrictive (NRD) day. Nutritional, cardiometabolic, and anthropometric parameters were compared between the two cohorts. AM presented lower daily total caloric intake for both RD (1362.42 ± 84.52 versus 1575.47 ± 285.96 kcal, P < 0.001) and NRD (1571.55 ± 81.07 versus 2137.80 ± 470.84 kcal, P < 0.001) than GF.They also demonstrated lower body mass index (23.77 ± 3.91 versus 28.92 ± 4.50 kg/m2, P