Castro-Marrero, Jesús, Zaragozá, Maria Cleofé, Domingo, Joan Carles et al. · Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids · 2018 · DOI
This study measured omega-3 fatty acid levels in the blood of 31 ME/CFS patients and found that nearly all of them (92.6%) had unusually low levels. Omega-3 fatty acids are important for heart health and reducing inflammation in the body. The researchers suggest that increasing omega-3 levels in ME/CFS patients might be worth testing as a potential treatment.
This is the first study documenting systematically low omega-3 fatty acid status in ME/CFS patients, suggesting a potential metabolic abnormality that could contribute to cardiovascular risk and inflammation—two concerns in this population. The findings raise the possibility that omega-3 supplementation could be investigated as a therapeutic intervention for ME/CFS.
This study does not establish that low omega-3 causes ME/CFS symptoms or that omega-3 supplementation will improve fatigue, sleep, or other ME/CFS symptoms. The cross-sectional design only shows association, not causation. Without a control group of healthy individuals, we cannot confirm whether this low omega-3 status is specific to ME/CFS or reflects broader dietary patterns in the population studied.
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, Jesús, Zaragozá, Maria Cleofé, Domingo, Joan Carles, Martinez-Martinez, Alba, Alegre, José, & von Schacky, Clemens (2018). Low omega-3 index and polyunsaturated fatty acid status in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.. Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plefa.2018.11.006
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-castro-marrero-2018-low-omega,
author = {Castro-Marrero, Jesús and Zaragozá, Maria Cleofé and Domingo, Joan Carles and Martinez-Martinez, Alba and Alegre, José and von Schacky, Clemens},
title = {Low omega-3 index and polyunsaturated fatty acid status in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.},
journal = {Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1016/j.plefa.2018.11.006},
note = {PubMed: 30471769},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/castro-marrero-2018-low-omega},
}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-2018-low-omega
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