Durlach, Jean, Pagès, Nicole, Bac, Pierre et al. · Magnesium research · 2002
This paper proposes that magnesium deficiency may be linked to disrupted circadian rhythms (biological clocks) and could contribute to several conditions including ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and sleep problems. The authors suggest that light therapy, dark therapy, and magnesium supplementation may help by affecting the body's internal clock and natural sleep hormone production.
For ME/CFS patients, this hypothesis is relevant because circadian dysfunction and magnesium deficiency are both documented in the condition. The paper suggests multiple therapeutic avenues (light/dark therapy, magnesium repletion) that could be investigated as potential treatments for ME/CFS-related sleep disturbance and neuroendocrine dysfunction.
This theoretical review does not provide clinical trial evidence that magnesium supplementation or light/dark therapy actually improves ME/CFS outcomes. It does not establish causation between magnesium depletion and ME/CFS; the proposed mechanisms remain unvalidated by controlled studies. The paper does not differentiate between correlation and direct causation in the relationships proposed.
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 →
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Primary citation
Durlach, Jean, Pagès, Nicole, Bac, Pierre, Bara, Michel, & Guiet-Bara, Andrée (2002). Biorhythms and possible central regulation of magnesium status, phototherapy, darkness therapy and chronopathological forms of magnesium depletion.. Magnesium research. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12030424/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-durlach-2002-biorhythms-possible,
author = {Durlach, Jean and Pagès, Nicole and Bac, Pierre and Bara, Michel and Guiet-Bara, Andrée},
title = {Biorhythms and possible central regulation of magnesium status, phototherapy, darkness therapy and chronopathological forms of magnesium depletion.},
journal = {Magnesium research},
year = {2002},
note = {PubMed: 12030424},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/durlach-2002-biorhythms-possible},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/durlach-2002-biorhythms-possible
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