Rowe, Peter C, Marden, Colleen L, Jasion, Samantha E et al. · Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2016 · DOI
This study looked at whether young people with ME/CFS often have problems digesting cow's milk protein. Researchers found that about 1 in 3 young patients with ME/CFS had milk protein intolerance, which caused stomach problems like reflux and pain. When these patients stopped eating milk products, their stomach symptoms improved and their quality of life got better.
ME/CFS patients frequently report gastrointestinal symptoms that can worsen overall illness severity and quality of life. This study identifies milk protein intolerance as a potentially modifiable contributor in nearly one-third of young patients, suggesting that dietary screening and elimination may be a practical, evidence-based approach to improving symptom burden in this population.
This study does not prove that milk protein intolerance causes ME/CFS or is the primary driver of the disease. It also does not establish whether milk intolerance is more common in ME/CFS than in healthy adolescents, nor does it determine the underlying mechanism (immune-mediated vs. non-immune lactose intolerance). The open re-exposure design lacks the rigor of double-blind, placebo-controlled challenges.
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
Rowe, Peter C, Marden, Colleen L, Jasion, Samantha E, Cranston, Erica M, Flaherty, Marissa A K, & Kelly, Kevin J (2016). Cow's milk protein intolerance in adolescents and young adults with chronic fatigue syndrome.. Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992). https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.13476
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-rowe-2016-cow-milk,
author = {Rowe, Peter C and Marden, Colleen L and Jasion, Samantha E and Cranston, Erica M and Flaherty, Marissa A K and Kelly, Kevin J},
title = {Cow's milk protein intolerance in adolescents and young adults with chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1111/apa.13476},
note = {PubMed: 27177188},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rowe-2016-cow-milk},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rowe-2016-cow-milk
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