Corbitt, Matthew, Campagnolo, N, Staines, D et al. · Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2018 · DOI
This review looked at whether probiotics (beneficial bacteria) might help with stomach and bowel problems that many people with ME/CFS experience. Researchers searched medical databases and found 25 studies on this topic. While probiotics showed promise for irritable bowel syndrome in the general population, there wasn't enough good-quality research to say whether they actually help people with ME/CFS.
Many people with ME/CFS suffer from gastrointestinal problems that significantly impact their quality of life. This review identifies a critical gap in research—while probiotics show benefits for similar bowel conditions in other populations, we don't yet have solid evidence they work for ME/CFS patients. Understanding this distinction helps guide both clinical decisions and future research priorities.
This review does not prove that probiotics are ineffective in ME/CFS—only that there isn't enough high-quality evidence yet to make that determination. The poor quality of existing CFS/ME probiotic studies may reflect research limitations rather than treatment ineffectiveness. The review also cannot explain why probiotics work for IBS but may differ in ME/CFS populations.
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
Corbitt, Matthew, Campagnolo, N, Staines, D, & Marshall-Gradisnik, S (2018). A Systematic Review of Probiotic Interventions for Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).. Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-018-9397-8
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-corbitt-2018-systematic-review,
author = {Corbitt, Matthew and Campagnolo, N and Staines, D and Marshall-Gradisnik, S},
title = {A Systematic Review of Probiotic Interventions for Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).},
journal = {Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1007/s12602-018-9397-8},
note = {PubMed: 29464501},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/corbitt-2018-systematic-review},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/corbitt-2018-systematic-review
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