Reyes, Zabrina, Stovall, Mary Catherine, Punyamurthula, Sanjana et al. · Journal of the neurological sciences · 2024 · DOI
This study looked at how gut bacteria and diet might affect people who develop Long COVID (symptoms that continue months after a COVID-19 infection). Researchers reviewed existing studies to see if changes in gut bacteria linked to worse COVID illness could be improved by eating foods rich in fiber and antioxidants, like those in the Mediterranean Diet. The idea is that a healthier gut might help prevent or reduce Long COVID symptoms.
Understanding the gut microbiome's role in PASC is relevant to ME/CFS research because both conditions share features like post-exertional malaise and multisystem involvement, and both may involve dysregulation of the gut-brain axis. This study identifies dietary interventions as potentially modifiable risk factors, offering ME/CFS patients practical strategies that could complement medical care. The proposed gut microbiome mechanism provides a biologically plausible link between infection, immune dysregulation, and chronic symptom persistence.
This systematic review does not establish causation—it identifies associations between microbiome changes and PASC severity based on existing studies. The study does not provide direct clinical trial evidence that specific diets prevent or treat Long COVID or ME/CFS in humans, nor does it rule out that microbiome changes are secondary consequences rather than primary drivers of PASC. Results are correlational and require prospective intervention trials to validate therapeutic benefit.
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
Reyes, Zabrina, Stovall, Mary Catherine, Punyamurthula, Sanjana, Longo, Michele, Maraganore, Demetrius, & Solch-Ottaiano, Rebecca J (2024). The impact of gut microbiome and diet on post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection.. Journal of the neurological sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2024.123295
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-reyes-2024-impact-gut,
author = {Reyes, Zabrina and Stovall, Mary Catherine and Punyamurthula, Sanjana and Longo, Michele and Maraganore, Demetrius and Solch-Ottaiano, Rebecca J},
title = {The impact of gut microbiome and diet on post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection.},
journal = {Journal of the neurological sciences},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1016/j.jns.2024.123295},
note = {PubMed: 39550783},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/reyes-2024-impact-gut},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/reyes-2024-impact-gut
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