New Research links Probiotics with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

By Laura Firetag, ND Student, Bastyr University

It seems like researchers are constantly discovering new ways in which our symbiotic gut flora support us every day. I recently stumbled upon an interesting review article that was published in October in the Journal Nutrition & Metabolism. We might be able to add prevention of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) to the list of the benefits associated with probiotic supplementation in the future. CFS is a debilitating condition whose pathophysiology is under intense research as it is not yet well understood. It is a clinical condition that affects up to 4 million people in the United States. CFS is defined by the International CFS Study Group as ‘chronic fatigue of at least 6 months duration, which is accompanied by various rheumatologic, infectious and neuropsychiatric symptoms.’ The diagnosis of CFS is quite problematic since, as of right now, no definitive biological markers specific to the disease exist. Over the past decade, doctors and research scientists have taken note of a correlation between CFS and gut dysfunction as numerous CFS patients are, in fact, also diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). CFS patients are also quite likely to have several debilitating co-existing symptoms such as headaches, myalgia, arthralgia, cognitive difficulties, impaired memory, difficulty concentrating, depression and anxiety.

The authors of the review conclude that ‘the high frequency of comorbidities in CFS suggests that the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms cannot be confined to an organ (e.g., the brain) but rather must involve an integrating system or mechanism such as the brain-gut axis and the autonomic nervous system.’

The authors of the review also declare that ‘evidence for a synergism between aberrant gut microbiota, mucosal barrier dysfunction and altered mucosal immunity contributing to the disorder’s pathogenesis has begun to evolve.’

The research is showing that patients with CFS definitively have altered gut microorganisms. They specifically tend to have ‘lower levels of Bifidobacteria and higher levels of aerobic bacteria.’ Probiotics in general benefit the intestinal mucosa by several mechanisms such as inhibition of the ability of pathogens to adhere to the mucosa, improvement of the barrier function of the epithelium via tightening of the interepithelial junctions, regulation of intraluminal fermentation and alteration of the immune function of the host. Future research will eventually determine if the dysbiosis occurs before or after a patient has CFS. The authors of this review do present an intriguing idea and one study has surprisingly shown that Bifidobacterium infantis boosted serotonin levels and significantly improved anxiety scores among CFS patients supplemented. This recent study and the fact that CFS patients do have altered gut flora makes me hopeful that probiotic supplementation could one day be an effective intervention (or even prevention) for patients suffering with CFS

Lakhan and Kirchgessner. Nutrition & Metabolism. 2010, 7:79.

posted by Innate Response at

8:00 AM

New Research links Probiotics with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

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