Welcome and Why This Course Matters

Many people with diabetes fast. Some fast for faith, like Ramadan. Others fast for culture or health. Fasting means going without food for a set time.

Some fasts happen every day or week. Others, like Ramadan, come once a year. The World Health Organization has guidance on Ramadan fasting for people with diabetes.

A 24-hour clock with a moon at the top and a sun at the bottom. First a care team member shows a note: on insulin or other medicines that can cause lows, ask your care team before changing meal times. The night hours are shaded for eating after sunset, the daylight hours for the fast, and ticks mark sunset and dawn.

Blood sugar is the amount of sugar in your blood. Think of it as water in a bathtub. Each meal adds sugar, and your body clears it slowly between meals.

Moving or skipping a meal shifts when the water rises and falls. That can change your blood sugar, so a fast needs thought first.

Some situations need a doctor's plan before any fast. Insulin is one. Sulfonylureas, a type of diabetes pill, are another.

Type 1 diabetes, pregnancy and a past severe low also call for a plan first. A severe low is a drop that needs someone else's help.

This course gives general information. It does not replace advice from your own doctor, who knows your health and medicines.

Key takeaways

• Many people with diabetes fast for religious, cultural or health reasons.
• Changing when and how often you eat can move your blood sugar.
• Insulin, sulfonylureas, type 1 diabetes, pregnancy and a past severe low call for a doctor's plan first.

Try it

Write down the fast you are considering and its start date. List your diabetes medicines beside it, and bring both to your next doctor visit.