Carrera-Bastos, Pedro, Muskiet, Marcel H A, Mata-Ordoñez, Fernando et al. · Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2026 · DOI
This review examines a cellular energy pattern called the Warburg effect, which causes cells to shift from their normal energy-making processes to a different system that prioritizes cell growth over efficient energy production. The authors suggest this pattern occurs not just in cancer, but also in conditions like ME/CFS, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. They explore whether treatments like fasting, special diets, ketone supplements, and certain diabetes medications might help by reversing this metabolic shift.
This work offers an alternative mechanistic framework for understanding ME/CFS energy metabolism—proposing that observed 'mitochondrial dysfunction' may be secondary to cellular metabolic reprogramming rather than a primary cause. If accurate, this could redirect research priorities and therapeutic development toward addressing metabolic switching rather than focusing solely on mitochondrial repair, potentially opening new avenues for intervention in ME/CFS.
This review does not establish causation or prove that the Warburg effect is the primary driver of ME/CFS pathology; it presents a hypothesis synthesizing existing literature. The abstract does not provide evidence from controlled trials in ME/CFS patients, so direct efficacy of proposed interventions (fasting, ketogenic diet, SGLT2 inhibitors) specifically in ME/CFS remains unproven. Correlation between Warburg-like metabolism and disease presence does not exclude other concurrent pathogenic mechanisms.
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Primary citation
Carrera-Bastos, Pedro, Muskiet, Marcel H A, Mata-Ordoñez, Fernando, Pruimboom, Leo, Lucia, Alejandro, Luque, Raul M, et al. (2026). Metabolic reprogramming in diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic disorders: exploring the Warburg effect, ketones, and SGLT2 inhibitors.. Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11154-025-09996-z
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-carrera-bastos-2026-metabolic-reprogramming,
author = {Carrera-Bastos, Pedro and Muskiet, Marcel H A and Mata-Ordoñez, Fernando and Pruimboom, Leo and Lucia, Alejandro and Luque, Raul M and Muskiet, Frits A J},
title = {Metabolic reprogramming in diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic disorders: exploring the Warburg effect, ketones, and SGLT2 inhibitors.},
journal = {Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1007/s11154-025-09996-z},
note = {PubMed: 41129010},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/carrera-bastos-2026-metabolic-reprogramming},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/carrera-bastos-2026-metabolic-reprogramming
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