Dröge, W, Holm, E · FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 1997 · DOI
This study proposes that several diseases—including ME/CFS, HIV, cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease—share a common pattern: low levels of certain amino acids (cysteine and glutamine), weakened immune cells called natural killer cells, and muscle weakness. The researchers suggest these low amino acid levels may be both a cause and a consequence of muscle wasting, and that boosting cysteine might help treatment when combined with disease-specific therapies.
ME/CFS is explicitly listed among conditions exhibiting 'low CG syndrome,' linking it to a broader pathophysiological framework involving immune dysfunction and muscle metabolism. If the proposed cysteine dysregulation contributes to ME/CFS symptoms, targeted amino acid supplementation could represent a novel therapeutic avenue. This framework also suggests ME/CFS may share mechanistic features with HIV and other catabolic diseases, potentially opening cross-disease research collaborations.
This study does not prove that cysteine deficiency causes ME/CFS or that supplementation will improve outcomes in ME/CFS patients. The coincidence of low cystine levels and muscle wasting across diseases does not establish causation. No ME/CFS-specific data, patient cohorts, or intervention trials are presented; the evidence is correlative and primarily theoretical.
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
Dröge, W & Holm, E (1997). Role of cysteine and glutathione in HIV infection and other diseases associated with muscle wasting and immunological dysfunction.. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.11.13.9367343
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-drge-1997-role-cysteine,
author = {Dröge, W and Holm, E},
title = {Role of cysteine and glutathione in HIV infection and other diseases associated with muscle wasting and immunological dysfunction.},
journal = {FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology},
year = {1997},
doi = {10.1096/fasebj.11.13.9367343},
note = {PubMed: 9367343},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/drge-1997-role-cysteine},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/drge-1997-role-cysteine
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