Gut Microbiomes Offer Insights into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
By: Shafaq Zia
Millions of people are affected by the debilitating exhaustion and brain fog that characterizes the long-term condition chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis. Although CFS has been connected to viral infections including COVID-19, the underlying cause of the disease remains unknown.
Now, a study led by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health that was published February 8 in Cell is offering new insights that link the condition’s unexplained fatigue symptoms with changes in gut microbe composition. This work suggests the health-promoting gut bacterium Faecalibacterium prausnitzii strongly may reduce exhaustion in individuals with CFS.
