McDermott, C, Richards, S C M, Thomas, P W et al. · QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians · 2006 · DOI
This study tested whether a supplement called BioBran MGN-3 could reduce fatigue in people with ME/CFS by boosting immune cells called natural killer cells. Seventy-one patients took either the supplement or a placebo for 8 weeks. Both groups improved during the study, but the supplement group did not improve significantly more than the placebo group, suggesting the supplement itself was not the reason for improvement.
Natural killer cell dysfunction has been proposed as a mechanism in ME/CFS, making immune-modulating therapies a theoretically attractive approach. This well-designed trial demonstrates that not all biologically plausible treatments work in practice, and highlights the critical role of rigorous controlled studies in preventing ineffective treatments from being promoted to vulnerable patients.
This study does not prove that NK cell dysfunction is irrelevant to ME/CFS pathogenesis—only that this particular supplement does not effectively enhance NK cell function in a clinically meaningful way. It does not establish that all immune-based interventions are ineffective. The improvement in both groups suggests either a placebo response, natural disease fluctuation, or non-specific effects of study participation—but causation cannot be determined.
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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