Manuel y Keenoy, B, Moorkens, G, Vertommen, J et al. · Journal of the American College of Nutrition · 2000 · DOI
This study looked at whether magnesium deficiency and oxidative stress (cellular damage from unstable molecules) are connected in people with chronic fatigue. Researchers tested 93 patients, about half of whom had CFS, and found that people lacking magnesium had lower antioxidant protection in their blood. When these patients took magnesium supplements, some improved antioxidant markers and vitamin E levels, suggesting magnesium may help protect cells from damage.
Magnesium deficiency and oxidative stress have both been proposed as contributing factors in ME/CFS pathology. This study provides evidence that magnesium supplementation may improve antioxidant markers in chronically fatigued patients, suggesting a potential mechanism by which correcting magnesium deficiency could be beneficial. Understanding the relationship between magnesium status and cellular protection is relevant for evaluating supplementation as a therapeutic approach in ME/CFS.
This study does not prove that magnesium deficiency causes ME/CFS or that supplementation will improve fatigue symptoms or functional outcomes. The observational design without a control group cannot establish causality, and improvement in antioxidant markers does not necessarily translate to clinical benefit. The study also does not determine optimal dosing or identify which patients are most likely to respond.
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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