It is the time of year when I find myself asking the same question to people who I find collapsed.

'Are you fasting?'

For it is currently Ramadan, when observant Muslims fast during the hours of daylight. We have a lot of Muslims in Newham.

But it is not just people with low blood sugar that are affected by the fasting.

My brother has two men at his work who are fasting at the moment. They are currently in real pain from their stomach ulcers. While we spend some hours asleep without eating, our stomachs are less active at that time. If you are fasting while awake, then you are being bombarded with the sights and smells of food, and your stomach responds appropriately.

So fasting is not just a simple matter of being hungry.

Some Muslims are exempt from fasting, most notably those who are pregnant or diabetic. But not everyone takes advantage of this exemption, so for example the baby we recently delivered on a kitchen floor was born to a mother who was fasting.

So far, I've not had a fainter due to fasting, but with around 20 days left to Ramadan, I'm expecting at least one.