Jacobson, W, Saich, T, Borysiewicz, L K et al. · Neurology · 1993 · DOI
Researchers measured folic acid levels in the blood of 60 ME/CFS patients and found that about half had lower-than-normal amounts. This suggests that some people with ME/CFS may not have enough folic acid in their body, which is a B vitamin important for many body functions.
Identifying potential nutritional deficiencies in ME/CFS could lead to new avenues for symptom management and treatment strategies. If folate deficiency is confirmed as more common in ME/CFS than in healthy controls, supplementation might be explored as a therapeutic intervention.
This study does not establish that folate deficiency causes ME/CFS or that it contributes to symptom severity. The cross-sectional design cannot determine whether low folate is a cause, consequence, or incidental finding, and without a comparison group, we cannot assess whether this prevalence is unusual for CFS specifically.
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
Jacobson, W, Saich, T, Borysiewicz, L K, Behan, W M, Behan, P O, & Wreghitt, T G (1993). Serum folate and chronic fatigue syndrome.. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.43.12.2645
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-jacobson-1993-serum-folate,
author = {Jacobson, W and Saich, T and Borysiewicz, L K and Behan, W M and Behan, P O and Wreghitt, T G},
title = {Serum folate and chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {1993},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.43.12.2645},
note = {PubMed: 8255470},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/jacobson-1993-serum-folate},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/jacobson-1993-serum-folate
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