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

Saturday, March 14, 2026

A 24‑man cohort of male combat athletes—average age 27 and competing at a national level—participated in a controlled study to examine how pre‑dawn protein intake influences strength and power during Ramadan fasting.

Study Design

Condition	Description
No Fast + Normal Meal	Baseline, no fasting.
Fast + Sugar Placebo	Fasting with a non‑protein supplement.
Fast + Whey Protein	Fasting plus whey protein at suhoor.
Fast + Casein Protein	Fasting plus casein protein at suhoor.

Blinding: Athletes were unaware of the supplement they received.
Timing: Tests conducted 11–13 hours after suhoor, once the supplement had been ingested.
Measures:
Short‑burst power (Wingate test)
Upper‑body strength (bench press)
Lower‑body strength (leg press)
Vertical jump height
Hand grip strength

Key Findings

Metric	Fast + Placebo	Fast + Whey	Fast + Casein	No Fast
Wingate Peak Power	↓ (significant drop)	↑ relative to placebo	Least decline	Baseline
Wingate Mean Power	↓	↑	Higher than whey/placebo	Baseline
Bench Press Strength	↓	↑	Higher than whey/placebo	Baseline
Leg Press, Jump Height, Hand Grip	No significant change across conditions

Fasting alone reduced peak and mean Wingate power, as well as bench press strength.
Casein protein at suhoor attenuated these declines more effectively than whey or the placebo.
Despite improvements, casein did not fully restore performance to non‑fasting levels.
Lower‑body and explosive measures (leg press, jump) were largely unaffected by any condition.

Practical Implications

Timing & type of protein matter when training during Ramadan.
Consuming casein protein at suhoor can offer partial protection against fasting‑related performance losses, especially in short‑duration power and upper‑body endurance.
Further research is needed to refine optimal nutritional strategies for fasting athletes.

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