Chojnacki, Marcin, Błońska, Aleksandra, Kaczka, Aleksandra et al. · Nutrients · 2025 · DOI
This study looked at the gut bacteria and their byproducts in 80 women, comparing those with IBS alone to those with both IBS and chronic fatigue. Women with both conditions had different types of bacteria and different levels of certain chemicals in their urine, particularly those related to tryptophan (an amino acid). Higher levels of some of these chemicals were linked to worse fatigue symptoms.
Identifying distinct microbiota and metabolite patterns in ME/CFS patients could illuminate mechanisms underlying fatigue and guide targeted microbiome-based interventions. The focus on tryptophan metabolism and neuroactive compounds connects gut biology to neurological symptoms central to ME/CFS, potentially opening new diagnostic and therapeutic avenues.
This cross-sectional study cannot establish causation—whether altered microbiota cause metabolite changes and fatigue, or whether fatigue and illness alter the microbiota. The findings are correlational only and require validation; the authors explicitly state these are hypothesis-generating results that need further investigation before clinical application.
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
Chojnacki, Marcin, Błońska, Aleksandra, Kaczka, Aleksandra, Chojnacki, Jan, Walecka-Kapica, Ewa, Romanowska, Natalia, et al. (2025). Assessment of the Gut Microbiome in Patients with Coexisting Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.. Nutrients. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17132232
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-chojnacki-2025-assessment-gut,
author = {Chojnacki, Marcin and Błońska, Aleksandra and Kaczka, Aleksandra and Chojnacki, Jan and Walecka-Kapica, Ewa and Romanowska, Natalia and Przybylowska-Sygut, Karolina and Popławski, Tomasz},
title = {Assessment of the Gut Microbiome in Patients with Coexisting Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.},
journal = {Nutrients},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.3390/nu17132232},
note = {PubMed: 40647335},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/chojnacki-2025-assessment-gut},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/chojnacki-2025-assessment-gut
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