Maya, Jessica, Leddy, Sabrina M, Gottschalk, C Gunnar et al. · International journal of molecular sciences · 2023 · DOI
Researchers studied immune cells called lymphocytes from ME/CFS patients and found that these cells use fatty acids (a type of fuel) differently than healthy people's immune cells do. When immune cells are activated or working hard, ME/CFS patients' cells rely more heavily on burning fat for energy compared to cells from healthy controls. This suggests that ME/CFS patients' immune systems may have a fundamental problem with how they fuel their cells.
Understanding how ME/CFS immune cells produce and use energy may reveal why patients' immune systems appear dysfunctional and could explain some core symptoms like fatigue and post-exertional malaise. This research provides potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets, as correcting these metabolic abnormalities might improve immune function and patient outcomes.
This study does not prove that altered fatty acid metabolism causes ME/CFS symptoms or that it is the primary disease mechanism—it demonstrates an association in a limited sample. The research does not establish whether these metabolic changes are primary (causing the disease) or secondary (resulting from it), nor does it directly test whether correcting these metabolic abnormalities would improve symptoms.
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
Maya, Jessica, Leddy, Sabrina M, Gottschalk, C Gunnar, Peterson, Daniel L, & Hanson, Maureen R (2023). Altered Fatty Acid Oxidation in Lymphocyte Populations of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.. International journal of molecular sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032010
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-maya-2023-altered-fatty,
author = {Maya, Jessica and Leddy, Sabrina M and Gottschalk, C Gunnar and Peterson, Daniel L and Hanson, Maureen R},
title = {Altered Fatty Acid Oxidation in Lymphocyte Populations of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.},
journal = {International journal of molecular sciences},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.3390/ijms24032010},
note = {PubMed: 36768336},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/maya-2023-altered-fatty},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/maya-2023-altered-fatty
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