Protein Choice at Suhoor: How It Helps or Hinders Fighters During Ramadan

A group of 24 male combat athletes, about 27 years old and competing at a national level, took part in a study that tested how different proteins eaten before dawn (suhoor) affect their strength and power while they fast during Ramadan. The researchers used a careful design that kept the athletes blind to which supplement they received, and each athlete tried four different scenarios: no fast with a normal meal, fasting with a sugar placebo, fasting plus whey protein, and fasting plus casein protein. Every test started after the athletes had eaten their suhoor meal and taken their supplement, roughly 11 to 13 hours later. The tests measured short‑burst power (Wingate test), upper‑body strength (bench press), lower‑body strength (leg press), vertical jump, and hand grip.The results showed that fasting alone lowered the athletes’ peak power and average power during the Wingate test, as well as their bench press strength. When casein protein was added to the suhoor meal, these declines were less severe than with whey or the placebo. Casein helped keep peak and mean power higher, and it also improved bench press strength compared to the placebo. However, casein did not completely bring performance back to the levels seen when the athletes were not fasting. The leg press, jump height, and hand grip did not change much across any of the conditions. Overall, eating casein protein at suhoor offers some protection against the performance losses that come with fasting, especially for short‑duration power and upper‑body endurance. The study suggests that the timing and type of protein matter when athletes train during Ramadan, but more research is needed to find the best nutritional plan for those who fast.