1. Introduction
ME/CFS report gastrointestinal complaints, anxiety/depression symptoms, fatigue, cognitive fatigue, abdominal pain, IBS, immune dysfunction, inflammation, metabolic disturbances, hyperpermeability, Crohn’s disease, debilitating disorder
NEURODEGENERATION, INFLAMMATION, CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, FUNCTIONAL DISORDERS, IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS), METABOLIC DISTURBANCE, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, PATHOGENESIS, MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS
These authors contributed equally to this work.This research aimed to examine the potential alleviative effects of beta-glucan administration on fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, anxiety/depression symptoms and health-related quality of life in ME/CFS. A 36-week unicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 65 ME/CFS patients, who were randomly allocated to one of two arms to receive four capsules each one of 250 mg beta-glucan, 3.75 µg vitamin D3, 1.05 mg vitamin B6, and 7.5 mg zinc (n = 35), or matching placebo including only microcrystalline cellulose as an excipient (n = 30) once daily. The findings showed that the beta-glucan supplementation significantly improved cognitive fatigue (assessed with FIS-40 scores) after the 36-week treatment compared to the baseline (Myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex debilitating disorder affecting approximately 17 million people worldwide with a prevalence ranging between 0.2 and 2.6% [In addition, the sleep disturbances commonly reported in ME/CFS patients have been shown to exaggerate these cognitive symptoms and make them more difficult to control [Functional alterations of redox metabolism, gene expression, and mitochondrial biomarkers in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), aerobic oxidative metabolism, decreased aerobic activity, and deconditioning after physical exercise have also been described in ME/CFS [In addition, many individuals with ME/CFS report gastrointestinal complaints such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a common functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort and altered bowel habit. Although the exact mechanism of the gut disturbances in ME/CFS needs to be explored further, the high frequency of IBS diagnoses in ME/CFS patients suggests that impaired composition of intestinal microbiota along with immune dysfunction and increased inflammation beyond the gut may play a role in the onset and development of the illness [Studies investigating the role of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in ME/CFS pathogenesis have suggested that SCFA deficiency, in particular butyrate-producing bacteria, is associated with fatigue severity in these individuals [Although many studies have investigated the health benefits of beta-glucan, including the prevention and treatment of chronic gut inflammation and conditions related to metabolic disturbances and neurodegeneration, its use in ME/CFS is still under investigation [Furthermore, by promoting the activity of the desired intestinal microbiota and limiting the growth of pathogens, beta-glucan can play an important role in maintaining proper gut function and thus prevent chronic inflammation. For example, the use of a yeast-derived beta-glucan was effective in reducing hyperpermeability in ileal specimens from patients with Crohn’s disease [Thus, beta-glucan supplementation is associated with numerous health benefits including improved gut health, enhanced immune function, and reduced fatigue, and may provide a potential therapeutic advantage for ME/CFS. The present randomized placebo-controlled trial aimed to assess the effect of ImmunoVita