Richards, R S, Roberts, T K, McGregor, N R et al. · Redox report : communications in free radical research · 2000 · DOI
Researchers compared blood samples from 33 people with ME/CFS and 27 healthy people, looking for signs of oxidative stress—a type of cellular damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals. They found that people with ME/CFS had higher levels of certain markers of this damage, particularly a substance called methaemoglobin. The levels of these damage markers were strongly linked to how severe patients' symptoms were, including fatigue, pain, sleep problems, and cognitive difficulties.
This research provides biological evidence that oxidative stress may be a real, measurable component of ME/CFS pathology rather than a purely psychiatric condition. If oxidative stress contributes to symptoms, it could eventually lead to new treatments targeting free radical damage, offering hope for patients who currently have limited therapeutic options.
This study demonstrates association, not causation—we cannot conclude that oxidative stress causes ME/CFS symptoms. It does not establish whether elevated oxidative stress is a primary cause of the disease, a consequence of the illness, or a secondary effect of reduced activity. The small sample size (n=33) and cross-sectional design limit generalizability and cannot determine whether reducing oxidative stress 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
Richards, R S, Roberts, T K, McGregor, N R, Dunstan, R H, & Butt, H L (2000). Blood parameters indicative of oxidative stress are associated with symptom expression in chronic fatigue syndrome.. Redox report : communications in free radical research. https://doi.org/10.1179/rer.2000.5.1.35
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-richards-2000-blood-parameters,
author = {Richards, R S and Roberts, T K and McGregor, N R and Dunstan, R H and Butt, H L},
title = {Blood parameters indicative of oxidative stress are associated with symptom expression in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Redox report : communications in free radical research},
year = {2000},
doi = {10.1179/rer.2000.5.1.35},
note = {PubMed: 10905542},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/richards-2000-blood-parameters},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/richards-2000-blood-parameters
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