Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also called chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), is a chronic and complex disease about which relatively little is known. This syndrome manifests itself in particular by an exhaustion after physical or intellectual effort, neurological signs (attention disorders, confusion, memory loss, etc.), chronic pain, muscle or motor disorders, sleep disorders or even an immune weakening.
Published in the journal Cell Host & Microbetwo scientific studies (Source 1 and 2) highlight disturbances in the intestinal microbiota of affected people, which could partly explain the immune disorders of this pathology.
A protective fatty acid that is not produced enough
« It is important to note that this research shows correlation, not causation, between these microbiome changes and ME/CFS “said Julia Oh, associate professor at the Jackson Laboratory (USA) and lead author of one of the two articles, in a press release. “ But these findings are the prelude to many more mechanistic experiments we hope to do to better understand ME/CFS and its underlying causes. “, she added.
Here, the researchers compared gut microbiota samples of different profiles: people recently diagnosed with ME/CFS (within 4 years prior to the study), people with symptoms of this pathology for more than 10 years , and unaffected witnesses.
Analyzes show that people with recent ME/CFS had changes in species diversity present in their intestinal microbiota. In detail, they had reduced levels of microorganisms known to produce butyratean important fatty acid for protect the integrity of the intestinal barrier and stimulate the immune system at the digestive level.
One of the two studies also found significant links between the severity of fatigue symptoms and levels of specific species of gut bacteria, in particular butyrate-producing bacteria, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. It also revealed an overall higher bacterial load in the stool, and disturbances in the interactions between bacterial species in patients with ME/CFS.
Avenues for future clinical trials
« Although these results do not unequivocally demonstrate causal relationships between microbiome disturbances and symptoms, these microbiome-symptom relationships present potentially exploitable and manipulable targets for future therapeutic trials “, underlined Brent L. Williams, co-author of the second study. “ These trials could perhaps focus on dietary, probiotic, prebiotic or synbiotic interventions and may provide direct evidence that gut bacteria influence the occurrence of chronic symptoms “, he added, specifying that experiments are planned on animal models, to find out more.
Remember that everyone can already, to some extent, take care of your microbiota intestinal via the adoption of a diversified diet, giving pride of place to fruits and vegetables and dietary probiotics (yogurts, lacto-fermented vegetables, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, etc.).