E1 ReplicatedModerate confidencePEM unclearRCTPeer-reviewedMachine draft
Does oral coenzyme Q10 plus NADH supplementation improve fatigue and biochemical parameters in chronic fatigue syndrome?
Castro-Marrero, Jesús, Cordero, Mario D, Segundo, María José et al. · Antioxidants & redox signaling · 2015 · DOI
Quick Summary
This 8-week study tested whether taking two supplements—coenzyme Q10 and NADH—could reduce fatigue in people with ME/CFS. Seventy-three Spanish patients received either the supplements or a placebo. The group taking the supplements reported less fatigue and showed improvements in blood markers related to energy production and oxidative stress compared to the placebo group.
Why It Matters
This study provides evidence that supplementing with CoQ10 and NADH may reduce fatigue and restore key cellular energy-production markers in ME/CFS patients. These findings support the biological plausibility of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in ME/CFS, potentially opening a new therapeutic avenue for a condition with few proven treatments.
Observed Findings
- Fatigue impact scale total score was significantly lower in the treatment group (p<0.05).
- NAD+/NADH ratio increased significantly in treated patients (p<0.001).
- ATP levels and citrate synthase activity were significantly elevated in blood mononuclear cells of the treatment group (p<0.05).
- Blood lipoperoxide levels (marker of oxidative stress) were significantly reduced in the treatment group (p<0.05).
- CoQ10 levels were significantly higher in the treatment group (p<0.05).
Inferred Conclusions
- Oral CoQ10 plus NADH supplementation may confer therapeutic benefits on fatigue in CFS patients.
- The supplements may help restore mitochondrial function and reduce oxidative stress in CFS.
- These biochemical improvements may represent a mechanism by which the supplements reduce fatigue symptoms.
Remaining Questions
- Do the fatigue improvements persist beyond 8 weeks, or is supplementation required indefinitely?
- What is the optimal dosage and duration of CoQ10 and NADH supplementation for maximum benefit?
- Do these supplements benefit all CFS patients, or only those with specific biomarker profiles (e.g., low baseline CoQ10)?
What This Study Does Not Prove
This study does not prove that CoQ10 and NADH supplementation is a cure or universally effective treatment for ME/CFS. The 8-week timeframe is relatively short, and the study does not establish whether improvements are sustained long-term or whether they translate to meaningful functional recovery. The findings also do not rule out placebo effects or determine the optimal dosage.
Tags
Symptom:Fatigue
Biomarker:MetabolomicsBlood Biomarker
Method Flag:Weak Case DefinitionSmall Sample
Metadata
- DOI
- 10.1089/ars.2014.6181
- PMID
- 25386668
- Review status
- Machine draft
- Evidence level
- Replicated human evidence from multiple independent studies
- Last updated
- 8 April 2026
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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