Wood, Emily, Hall, Katherine H, Tate, Warren · Chronic diseases and translational medicine · 2021 · DOI
This study reviews research on how mitochondria (the energy-producing centers in our cells) and oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules) may contribute to ME/CFS and long COVID symptoms. The authors examine whether antioxidant treatments could help restore energy production and reduce fatigue in these conditions. They highlight that many COVID-19 long-haulers develop symptoms that look very similar to ME/CFS, suggesting they may share underlying biological causes.
This study is important because it connects two patient populations—ME/CFS and long COVID—through a shared biological framework, potentially accelerating research into treatments for both. Understanding mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress provides a testable mechanistic hypothesis that could guide future therapeutic development. The review emphasizes the urgency of research in this area given the large number of people affected by both conditions.
This literature review does not prove that mitochondrial dysfunction or oxidative stress causes ME/CFS or long COVID, only that they appear to be associated with these conditions in existing research. The study does not test whether antioxidant treatments are effective in patients—it only proposes antioxidants as a potential approach worthy of investigation. Correlation of mitochondrial abnormalities with fatigue does not establish causation without intervention studies.
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 →
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Primary citation
Wood, Emily, Hall, Katherine H, & Tate, Warren (2021). Role of mitochondria, oxidative stress and the response to antioxidants in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: A possible approach to SARS-CoV-2 'long-haulers'?. Chronic diseases and translational medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdtm.2020.11.002
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-wood-2021-role-mitochondria,
author = {Wood, Emily and Hall, Katherine H and Tate, Warren},
title = {Role of mitochondria, oxidative stress and the response to antioxidants in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: A possible approach to SARS-CoV-2 'long-haulers'?},
journal = {Chronic diseases and translational medicine},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.1016/j.cdtm.2020.11.002},
note = {PubMed: 33251031},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wood-2021-role-mitochondria},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wood-2021-role-mitochondria
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