Richards, R S, Roberts, T K, Dunstan, R H et al. · Redox report : communications in free radical research · 2000 · DOI
This study looked at whether harmful molecules called free radicals might be involved in ME/CFS, similar to how they contribute to rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers found that ME/CFS patients showed certain body changes that resembled those seen in rheumatoid arthritis, suggesting free radicals could play a role in ME/CFS.
This research provides early evidence that oxidative stress may be a biological mechanism contributing to ME/CFS symptoms, offering a potential scientific explanation for the condition and opening avenues for future targeted therapeutic interventions addressing free radical damage.
This study does not prove that free radicals cause ME/CFS—it only identifies similar changes in both conditions. It does not measure free radical levels directly in CFS patients, nor does it establish whether observed changes are a cause or consequence of the illness. The correlation between RA-like changes and CFS does not establish causation.
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, Dunstan, R H, McGregor, N R, & Butt, H L (2000). Free radicals in chronic fatigue syndrome: cause or effect?. Redox report : communications in free radical research. https://doi.org/10.1179/135100000101535519
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-richards-2000-free-radicals,
author = {Richards, R S and Roberts, T K and Dunstan, R H and McGregor, N R and Butt, H L},
title = {Free radicals in chronic fatigue syndrome: cause or effect?},
journal = {Redox report : communications in free radical research},
year = {2000},
doi = {10.1179/135100000101535519},
note = {PubMed: 10939298},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/richards-2000-free-radicals},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/richards-2000-free-radicals
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