Castro-Marrero, Jesus, Sáez-Francàs, Naia, Segundo, María Jose et al. · Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2016 · DOI
This study tested whether two supplements called CoQ10 and NADH could help people with ME/CFS feel less fatigued and improve their exercise capacity. Eighty patients took either the supplements or placebo for 8 weeks. The results showed modest improvements: the supplement group had lower maximum heart rates during exercise testing and reported less fatigue, but pain and sleep didn't improve.
ME/CFS lacks approved pharmacological treatments, making exploration of potentially safe supplements valuable for patients seeking symptom relief. A reduction in maximum heart rate during standardized exercise testing could reflect improved cardiac efficiency or exercise tolerance, which are central concerns for ME/CFS patients. However, the mixed results underscore the need for further research before these supplements can be recommended as standard therapy.
This small 8-week trial does not establish that CoQ10 plus NADH is clinically effective or superior to placebo for most ME/CFS symptoms, as pain and sleep showed no benefit and fatigue improvement was modest. The study cannot determine the mechanism of action or whether benefits persist beyond 8 weeks. Statistical significance does not equal clinical meaningfulness, particularly given the lack of impact on multiple secondary outcomes.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Castro-Marrero, Jesus, Sáez-Francàs, Naia, Segundo, María Jose, Calvo, Natalia, Faro, Mónica, Aliste, Luisa, et al. (2016). Effect of coenzyme Q10 plus nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide supplementation on maximum heart rate after exercise testing in chronic fatigue syndrome - A randomized, controlled, double-blind trial.. Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2015.07.010
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-castro-marrero-2016-effect-coenzyme,
author = {Castro-Marrero, Jesus and Sáez-Francàs, Naia and Segundo, María Jose and Calvo, Natalia and Faro, Mónica and Aliste, Luisa and Fernández de Sevilla, Tomás and Alegre, Jose},
title = {Effect of coenzyme Q10 plus nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide supplementation on maximum heart rate after exercise testing in chronic fatigue syndrome - A randomized, controlled, double-blind trial.},
journal = {Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland)},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1016/j.clnu.2015.07.010},
note = {PubMed: 26212172},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/castro-marrero-2016-effect-coenzyme},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/castro-marrero-2016-effect-coenzyme
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