By Karen Lee Richards
June 27, 2016

No two fibromyalgia or ME/CFS patients are exactly alike. Each has a unique set of symptoms with varying degrees of severity. There is, however, one common denominator for the vast majority – a serious, sometimes even profound, lack of energy.

What could possibly cause that kind of fatigue?

Multiple studies have suggested that mitochondrial dysfunction may play a significant role in both fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, which would explain much of the energy deficit experienced by patients.

Mitochondria are the engines – or energy producers – that power every cell in the body. It is the job of the mitochondria to take in nutrients, break them down and use them to create energy for the cells. The more energy a cell needs, the more mitochondria it contains. Cells that require a lot of energy – like the heart, brain and other vital organs – may have thousands of mitochondria.

How do the mitochondria produce energy? This is where CoQ10 (coenzyme Q10) comes in. CoQ10 is the catalyst that makes it possible for the mitochondria to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the molecule upon which all cellular functions in the body depend. In fact, 95% of all cellular energy production depends on CoQ10.

Given that statistic, it’s not surprising to learn that, according to several different studies, people with FM and/or ME/CFS generally have very low levels of CoQ10. As we, therefore, might expect, many of the symptoms of a CoQ10 deficiency are remarkably similar to symptoms of FM and ME/CFS, such as:

  • Fatigue
  • Pain
  • Headaches
  • Exercise intolerance
  • Generalized weakness
  • Memory loss
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Depression
  • Vision problems
  • Seizures
  • Heart failure
  • Because CoQ10 is essential to every cell in the body, a severe CoQ10 deficiency can cause mitochondrial dysfunction, which in turn has a serious negative impact on multiple organs and body systems.

Fibromyalgia and CoQ10

Since 2009, a team of Spanish researchers has led the way in conducting studies that link CoQ10, mitochondrial dysfunction and fibromyalgia. They have consistently found that FM patients are deficient in CoQ10 – often with a 40-50% reduction in CoQ10 levels compared to healthy controls.

Following are some of their significant findings:

- The distribution of CoQ10 in the blood was altered in FM patients.(1)

- A CoQ10 deficiency alters mitochondrial function, leading to increased oxidative stress in FM.(2)

- FM patients tested had low CoQ10 levels; after supplementation, both CoQ10 levels and symptoms improved.(3)

- Results suggest a role for mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in the headache symptoms associated with FM; oral CoQ10 supplementation restored biochemical parameters and induced a significant improvement in clinical and headache symptoms.(4)

- This study suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction may be driving an inflammatory process in FM; oral supplementation restored biochemical parameters and induced a significant improvement in clinical symptoms.(5)

- FM patients had a CoQ10 deficiency, mitochondrial dysfunction and increased expression of a particular inflammasome (an immune system sensor that can induce inflammation); oral supplementation reduced the inflammasome activation.(6)

- FM patients had low levels of both CoQ10 and serotonin; following CoQ10 supplementation, CoQ10 and serotonin levels were restored and symptoms of depression were measurably improved.(7)

- Many well-known FM/ME/CFS physicians, like Dr. Mark Pellegrino, Dr. Charles Lapp and Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, have been recommending CoQ10 for their patients for years. In fact, CoQ10 is one nutritional supplement that is almost universally endorsed by traditional and alternative FM/ME/CFS practitioners alike.