Hannestad, Ulf, Theodorsson, Elvar, Evengård, Birgitta · Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry · 2007 · DOI
Researchers measured two brain chemicals (GABA and beta-alanine) in the urine of ME/CFS patients and healthy people to see if abnormal levels might explain fatigue and sleep problems. They found no overall difference between patients and controls, but a small subgroup of ME/CFS patients (4 out of 33) had unusually high beta-alanine levels, suggesting this chemical imbalance might affect some—but not all—people with ME/CFS.
This study highlights that ME/CFS may not be a single disease but rather a collection of different biological subtypes. Identifying a small subgroup with abnormal neurotransmitter metabolism could eventually lead to targeted treatments for specific patient subsets rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.
This study does not prove that beta-alanine abnormalities cause ME/CFS symptoms, only that some patients may have elevated levels. The cross-sectional design means researchers cannot determine whether chemical changes are a cause, consequence, or coincidence. The findings apply to a tiny fraction of patients and require replication before drawing clinical conclusions.
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
Hannestad, Ulf, Theodorsson, Elvar, & Evengård, Birgitta (2007). beta-Alanine and gamma-aminobutyric acid in chronic fatigue syndrome.. Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cca.2006.07.004
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-hannestad-2007-beta-alanine,
author = {Hannestad, Ulf and Theodorsson, Elvar and Evengård, Birgitta},
title = {beta-Alanine and gamma-aminobutyric acid in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry},
year = {2007},
doi = {10.1016/j.cca.2006.07.004},
note = {PubMed: 16934791},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/hannestad-2007-beta-alanine},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/hannestad-2007-beta-alanine
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