from Hacker News

Does the microbiome hold the key to chronic fatigue syndrome?

by vincvinc on 7/14/23, 5:41 PM with 42 comments

  • by pella on 7/14/23, 6:21 PM

    imho: this is a slightly better link:

    "Studies find that microbiome changes may be a signature for ME/CFS"

    Wednesday, February 8, 2023

    NIH-funded studies link altered gut microbes to debilitating chronic disease.

    https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/studies-find-m...

    (1); Guo, et al. Deficient butyrate-producing capacity in the gut microbiome is associated with bacterial network disturbances and fatigue symptoms in ME/CFS. Cell Host & Microbe, February 8, 2023. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.01.004. https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(2...

    (2); Xiong, et al. Multi-‘omics of host-microbiome interactions in short- and long-term Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Cell Host & Microbe, February 8, 2023. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.01.001. https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(2...

  • by ipunchghosts on 7/14/23, 8:20 PM

    Folks in Maureen's group at Cornell have been looking at this for at least 10 years. There are changes but the research isn't replicable nor can people predict the changes.

  • by cupcake-unicorn on 7/15/23, 7:15 PM

    This is not at all surprising and has been noticed by actual chronic fatigue sufferers for years - maybe we should have listened to them?

    https://cfsremission.com/2015/10/19/miyarisan-clostridium-bu...

    This is an open sourced microbiome site that's run by the author of the above blog, someone who has CFS and a background in science: https://microbiomeprescription.com/

    You can easily spend around 200 dollars to get a full sequencing of your stool and suggested food and probiotics to take.

    The problem is most probiotics you can get over the counter are pretty much a scam. Lactobacilli don't survive fecal transit. Even suggestions like changing diet don't really help if your microbiome is that messed up, and you will see more cutsey suggestions like "Eat more resistant starch to increase butyrate producing bacteria!".

    The two probiotics that consistently actually work for CFS patients are Mutaflor (a probiotic E. Coli Strain) and C. Butyricum. You can only now just get this in the US from Pendulum, but it's been available in Japan for years as the Miyarisan probiotic, which you can easily order from eBay.

    Butyrate/buytric acid is a game changer and is being studied in a variety of diseases. It's a Histone deacetylase inhibitor, but without the side effects of the drugs on the market. A relative of mine with Parkinsons supplements buytric acid and this has controlled her tremor. PD and autism are also associated with disrupted gut biome and benefit from Butyrate or Butyrate producing probiotics. You can read more about it here:

    https://thehomeschoolingdoctor.com/butyrate-series/

    But, I guess big pharma, and CFS patients be faking/crazy, and probiotics are "hippie" stuff (along with the fact that you can't actually buy the ones that make a dent in these condition easily in the US). Really wish patients and their lived experiences were taken more seriously.

  • by thedailymail on 7/14/23, 9:52 PM

    Is there a sex-specific difference in gut immunity that would account for the much higher prevalence of CFS in women?

  • by ilya_m on 7/14/23, 6:10 PM

    Betteridge's law of headlines: "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no."

  • by imwillofficial on 7/14/23, 5:59 PM

    I hope they figure something out ::slams 5th cup of coffee::

  • by jsbisviewtiful on 7/14/23, 6:12 PM

    I always find these articles about "the microbiome being the key to a healthcare revolution" to be kind of annoying and just repetitive info.

    If a person's diet consists of Diet Coke, high carb/fat/sugar processed foods, 14 servings of bacon or beef a week and alcohol every other day with no exercise _they are going to feel like shit_. Leafy greens, fruits, less meat and less breads with some exercise would do anyone wonders - especially for their microbiome.

    These articles and ideas on the microbiome have been coming out for at least 10 years and the realistic takeaway from the research has always been _make healthier decisions and you'll be healthier_. It's just never seemed _that_ revolutionary, aside from the microbiome and mental health connections, which are interesting but still the same message.