A Sept 2024 paper emphasis the microbiome for ME/CFS

[Ken Lassesen]

A recent paper emphasis the microbiome for ME/CFS (and Long COVID). Here are some Odds Ratios for these conditions.

Microbial involvement in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome pathophysiology

This is the title of a new publication in Microbes & Immunity, available here. Microbiome fluctuations or metabolic endotoxemia are proposed as possible disorder biomarkers. Based on the fact t…

cfsremission.com

Bifidobacterium Longum appears to be the best probiotic for ME/CFS

 

[Carrie Naturalway]

"Bifidobacterium is common across all of these, and lactobacillus shows up barely in only one result. Since there can be some hostility between Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, I would suggest cutting out lactobacillus probiotics."

One of the microbiome scientists that works for Seed, a company that makes probiotics, said that we don't need lactobacillus and that the only reason it shows up in our guts is because of consuming yogurt or another food that contains it.

 

[Ken Lassesen]

It's the classic conflict between What will sell the product and What is good with evidence.
The typical "What will sell" gospel is dozen of probiotics especially lactobacillus because most people have the urban myth that lactobacillus is good.

 

[Carrie Naturalway]

Maybe eventually that will be changed. It's exciting how the research into the microbiome is moving along.

 

[Creekside]

I expect that there's no "best" strain for ME, but rather that each individual might have one or more strains that would help a bit if they were boosted, and other strains that would help if they were reduced. There are probably plenty of PWME who wouldn't see any benefits from microbiome alteration.

Microbiome alteration can have major effects. My ME started with a type IV food sensitivity, and food poisoning (flushed me out really well) cured that 2.5 years later. More recently, I apparently lost a strain critical for fermenting fibre, but luckily it was a strain I was able to replenish from a single probiotic capsule. That's two incidences in 25 years of ME, so it's definitely a potential treatment, but not a commonly effective treatment for everyone.

Natural foods you eat have their own microbiomes, introducing new strains and genes to your gut microbiome, yet we don't see many cases of "I ate some raw <whatever>, and it cured me of ME!" Some cases of surprise remissions could be due to such microbiome changes, but it's unlikely that the cause could be identified.