Santaella, María L, Font, Ivonne, Disdier, Orville M · Puerto Rico health sciences journal · 2004
This study tested whether a supplement called NADH could help people with ME/CFS feel better compared to standard nutritional supplements and counseling. Over 24 months, 12 patients received NADH while a comparison group received conventional treatment. During the first three months, patients taking NADH showed significant improvement in their symptoms, but by later time points, both groups improved at similar rates.
This study addresses a critical clinical question for ME/CFS patients—whether NADH offers genuine therapeutic benefit. As no proven effective treatment existed at the time of publication, any intervention showing early promise warrants investigation. The initial trimester response raises important questions about ME/CFS pathophysiology and whether energy metabolism interventions merit further exploration.
This study does not establish NADH as an effective long-term treatment for ME/CFS, as symptom improvements did not persist beyond the first trimester. The small sample size (12 NADH recipients) limits generalizability and statistical power. The study cannot determine the mechanism of the initial improvement or whether it represents a placebo effect, natural disease fluctuation, or true pharmacological action.
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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