Research suggests that in people with ME/CFS, the production and breakdown – metabolism, of a major class of fatty compounds called ‘sphingolipids’, is reduced.
Interestingly, reduced sphingolipid metabolism has also been observed in other illnesses – such as Q fever fatigue syndrome, where chronic fatigue is a major symptom.
According to Junhua Xiao, the author of a paper published in the journal “Neural Regeneration Research”, a shift in sphingolipid metabolism could disturb the immune system and various inflammatory pathways in the body – both the immune system and inflammation have been linked with ME/CFS.
Importantly for ME/CFS, Xiao also highlights that some of the compounds produced during sphingolipid metabolism (metabolites) may protect against fatigue development and regulate energy production in muscle cells – a reduction in sphingolipid metabolism such as that seen in people with ME/CFS would decrease the amount of these metabolites in the body.
According to the author, more research is needed to understand the role of sphingolipid metabolism in ME/CFS, and to assess whether restoring the reduced sphingolipid metabolites may provide a new approach to managing the disease.
