Research summary · Youth development
Voluntary fasting coincides with lower intermittent endurance in a small youth soccer study
Fifteen boys aged 10–11 completed field tests in fed and voluntarily fasted conditions, with condition order randomized. Fasting occurred outside Ramadan with parental approval; researchers did not require children to fast. The primary outcome was a children's intermittent-recovery running test.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Within-subject repeated-measures comparison with randomized condition order
- Journal
- Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
- Population / context
- Boys' soccer · Intermittent endurance
What the publication reports
Running-test distance was lower during fasting, while fatigue and perceived effort were higher. Jump height, 30-m sprint time and agility-test time did not differ significantly. Sleep duration and body mass also differed, complicating attribution to food or fluid restriction alone.
Limits and interpretation
The completed sample fell below the planned size. Hydration and metabolic mechanisms were not directly established, and short-term findings do not establish fasting safety or long-term effects in children. This study is not a recommendation for children to restrict intake.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Acute differences in field-based physical performance between Ramadan-type fasting and non-fasting conditions in 10–11-year-old youth soccer players
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42890175DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2026.1943164Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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