Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia with D-Ribose– An Open-label, Multicenter Study

June 2012
Jacob Teitelbaum, Janelle Jandrain, Ryan McGrew
 

Abstract:

Objectives:

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia (CFS/FMS) are debilitating syndromes affecting ~2- 4% of the population. Although they are heterogeneous conditions associated with many triggers, they appear to have the common pathology of being associated with impaired energy metabolism.

As D-ribose has been shown to increase cellular energy synthesis, and was shown to significantly improve clinical outcomes in CFS/FMS in an earlier study, we hypothesized that giving D-ribose would improve function in CFS/FMS patients.

Design, Location, and Subjects:

An open-label, unblinded study in which 53 US clinics enrolled 257 patients who had been given a diagnosis of CFS/FMS by a health practitioner.

Interventions:

All subjects were given D-ribose (Corvalen™), a naturally occurring pentose carbohydrate, 5-g TID for 3 weeks.

Outcome measures:

All patients were assessed at baseline (1 week before treatment), and after 1,2, & 3 weeks using a Visual Analog Scale (1-7 points) rating energy, sleep, cognitive function, pain and overall well being.

Keywords: Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Energy Levels, D-Ribose, Pain, pain Relief.