Tomas, Cara, Elson, Joanna L, Newton, Julia L et al. · Scientific reports · 2020 · DOI
This study examined how muscle cells from ME/CFS patients use different fuels for energy compared to healthy people. Researchers found that ME/CFS muscle cells have trouble using glucose (a key fuel source) for energy, but can still use other fuels normally. This suggests the energy-producing problem in ME/CFS starts very early in the energy-making process, and may be caused by something genetic or chemical that persists even when cells are grown in a laboratory.
This is the first study to examine energy metabolism directly in muscle cells from ME/CFS patients, demonstrating that the cellular energy defect is consistent across multiple tissue types and persists in laboratory conditions, strengthening the biological basis of the disease. Finding that glucose metabolism is specifically impaired could help identify potential therapeutic targets and explain why ME/CFS patients experience exercise intolerance and muscle fatigue.
This study does not prove what causes the glucose metabolism defect, only that it exists in cultured cells. It does not establish whether this defect is the primary cause of ME/CFS symptoms or a secondary consequence of the disease. The small sample size means findings may not apply to all ME/CFS patients.
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
Tomas, Cara, Elson, Joanna L, Newton, Julia L, & Walker, Mark (2020). Substrate utilisation of cultured skeletal muscle cells in patients with CFS.. Scientific reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75406-w
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-tomas-2020-substrate-utilisation,
author = {Tomas, Cara and Elson, Joanna L and Newton, Julia L and Walker, Mark},
title = {Substrate utilisation of cultured skeletal muscle cells in patients with CFS.},
journal = {Scientific reports},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-020-75406-w},
note = {PubMed: 33106563},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/tomas-2020-substrate-utilisation},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/tomas-2020-substrate-utilisation
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