Maes, Michael, Mihaylova, Ivana, Leunis, Jean-Claude · Neuro endocrinology letters · 2005
This study found that people with ME/CFS have lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids (healthy fats found in fish) and higher levels of other types of fats compared to healthy people. These imbalances were linked to lower zinc levels and problems with immune cells called T cells, which help fight infection. The researchers suggest that omega-3 supplements might help ME/CFS patients.
This study provides mechanistic insight into a potential nutritional and immune abnormality in ME/CFS, suggesting a testable intervention (omega-3 supplementation) that is safe and accessible. Understanding fatty acid metabolism and its link to T cell dysfunction may help explain both immune dysfunction and symptom severity in ME/CFS.
This study does not prove that omega-3 deficiency *causes* ME/CFS or that supplementation will treat it—only that an association exists. The small sample size and cross-sectional design cannot establish causality or rule out that illness severity changes fatty acid metabolism rather than the reverse. The study does not test whether omega-3 supplementation improves outcomes.
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
Maes, Michael, Mihaylova, Ivana, & Leunis, Jean-Claude (2005). In chronic fatigue syndrome, the decreased levels of omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids are related to lowered serum zinc and defects in T cell activation.. Neuro endocrinology letters. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16380690/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-maes-2005-chronic-fatigue,
author = {Maes, Michael and Mihaylova, Ivana and Leunis, Jean-Claude},
title = {In chronic fatigue syndrome, the decreased levels of omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids are related to lowered serum zinc and defects in T cell activation.},
journal = {Neuro endocrinology letters},
year = {2005},
note = {PubMed: 16380690},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/maes-2005-chronic-fatigue},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/maes-2005-chronic-fatigue
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