The Aerobic Energy Production and the Lactic Acid Excretion are both Impeded in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Abstract

Background: In this study the muscle bioenergetic function in response to exercise in severe ME was explored to see if the underlyingmetabolic problem in ME, responsible for the severe difficulties with trivial exercise, and the sever loss of muscle power, could be discovered.Methods: Inorganic phosphate, creatine kinase and lactate were measured in a former Dutch National Field Hockey Champion, who is nowa patient bedridden with severe ME, before and 5 minutes after very trivial “exercise”,from which his muscles needed 12 hours to recover.Results: Inorganic phosphate and creatine kinase were both normal, however, lactate after this trivial exercise was very high, and furthertesting showed that a second batch of lactic acid was excreted after the same exercise with a 6-fold delay, showing that the lactic acid excretionwas impaired and split into two. And this was delayed up to 11- fold by eating closer to the exercise.