Fukuda, Sanae, Nojima, Junzo, Kajimoto, Osami et al. · BioFactors (Oxford, England) · 2016 · DOI
This study tested whether taking a supplement called ubiquinol-10 (a form of coenzyme Q10) could help people with ME/CFS feel better. Researchers first gave 20 patients ubiquinol-10 for 8 weeks and saw improvements, then tested it more rigorously in 43 patients who either received ubiquinol-10 or a placebo for 12 weeks. The results suggested that ubiquinol-10 may help improve some CFS symptoms, particularly problems with nerve function and thinking ability.
ME/CFS patients frequently report cognitive dysfunction and autonomic symptoms such as orthostatic intolerance and dysautonomia, which significantly impair quality of life. If ubiquinol-10 supplementation can improve these core symptoms, it offers a potentially safe, non-pharmacological intervention that patients could access relatively easily, addressing mechanisms of cellular energy production that may be impaired in ME/CFS.
This study does not prove ubiquinol-10 is a cure for ME/CFS or that it works for all patients or all ME/CFS symptoms. The small sample size and incomplete RCT data (only 72% completion rate) mean results may not generalize broadly, and the mechanism by which ubiquinol-10 improves symptoms remains unclear. Additionally, the open-label phase was subject to placebo effect and observer bias, which may have inflated initial benefit estimates.
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
Fukuda, Sanae, Nojima, Junzo, Kajimoto, Osami, Yamaguti, Kouzi, Nakatomi, Yasuhito, Kuratsune, Hirohiko, et al. (2016). Ubiquinol-10 supplementation improves autonomic nervous function and cognitive function in chronic fatigue syndrome.. BioFactors (Oxford, England). https://doi.org/10.1002/biof.1293
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-fukuda-2016-ubiquinol-supplementation,
author = {Fukuda, Sanae and Nojima, Junzo and Kajimoto, Osami and Yamaguti, Kouzi and Nakatomi, Yasuhito and Kuratsune, Hirohiko and Watanabe, Yasuyoshi},
title = {Ubiquinol-10 supplementation improves autonomic nervous function and cognitive function in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {BioFactors (Oxford, England)},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1002/biof.1293},
note = {PubMed: 27125909},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/fukuda-2016-ubiquinol-supplementation},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/fukuda-2016-ubiquinol-supplementation
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