Christian Orthodox fasting in practice: A comparative evaluation between Greek Orthodox general population fasters and Athonian monks.

•Orthodox fasting (OF) is a periodical vegetarian subset of the Mediterranean diet.•We evaluated OF effects in general population fasters (GF) and Athonian monks (AM).•AM demonstrated lower BMI, Body Fat Mass and HOMA-IR values compared to GF.•The results highlight the unique characteristics of Athonian OF as a health-promoting diet.•Limitation of specific vitamins and minerals during OF warrants further investigation.