by Editor
August 1, 2006
A new clinical trial reports that some subjects with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and/or Fibromyalgia who received the dietary supplement NT Factor® over a two-month period achieved an average improvement of more than 40 percent in quality of life (energy).
This finding is line with the results of two previous clinical studies involving NT Factor® supplementation of subjects diagnosed with “chronic fatigue.” In each case, subjects completed the 27-question Piper Fatigue Scale as a measure of energy both before the trial (at baseline) and after completing the trial. All were measured as moderately to severely fatigued at baseline. Specific results were:
n A 43.1 percent average increase in energy after eight weeks of NT Factor® supplementation for the 15 subjects in the CFS/FM trial. Their average age was 45.
n A 40.5 percent average improvement after eight weeks on NT Factor® for 34 patients whose fatigue was associated with cancer and chemotherapy. Their average age was 50.
n A 35.5 percent average improvement in energy after 12 weeks of NT Factor® supplementation for 20 subjects whose “chronic fatigue” was associated with the aging process. Their average age was 69; the oldest was over 90.
These energy-improvement data are statistically significant, ranging from P < 0.001 to P < 0.0001. This means the probability that they are owing to chance is less than one in 1,000.
The researchers, Garth L. Nicolson, PhD, and Rita Ellithorpe, MD – both affiliates of the nonprofit Institute for Molecular Medicine in Huntington Beach, California – state they have no financial interest in NT Factor®. They explain that NT Factor supplementation is thought to support cellular energy-generating capability with a normalizing and protective action.
Energy at the cellular level. The researchers said that “fatigue is related to the metabolic energy available to tissues and cells.” The membranes of cells, and of structures within the cells such as the energy-generating mitochondria, act as the “gatekeepers,” determining which materials will be allowed to enter or exit the membrane. When these structures are damaged they become “leaky” – like a rusted metal container – and allow damaging chemicals into the cell and valuable nutrients out. This occurs naturally with aging and during chronic illnesses, the researchers further explain, where the production of free radicals (Reactive Oxygen Species, or ROS) results in oxidative damage of fatty acids, proteins, and DNA in the cells.
“Thus the integrity of mitochondrial membranes is critical to cell function and energy metabolism…. [and] the failure to repair or replace these damaged molecules at a rate that exceeds their damage results in impaired mitochondrial function.”
NT Factor®’s supportive action. The formula contains a patented lipid mixture containing fatty acids which are specifically utilized in mitrochondria and cell membranes. It is thought that these fatty acids replace the damaged/oxidized fatty acids, allowing for the cells to be restored to their normal fluidity, permeability, and function.
The researchers noted that such lipid replacement therapy (LRT) “is not just the dietary substitution of certain lipids with proposed health benefits; it is the actual replacement of damaged cellular lipids with undamaged lipids to insure proper structure and function of cellular tissues.”
The study showed that improvement in the study subjects’ energy as measured by the Piper Fatigue Scale took place over an 8- to 12-week period, but that continued supplementation at a maintenance level was required to maintain the improvement. “Disease and infection can result in oxidative damage that exceeds the abilities of cellular systems to repair and replace damaged molecules, and this is also the case in fatiguing illnesses” said the researchers. Dietary supplementation to maintain cellular structure and energy function is an important lifestyle action for improved quality of life.
The study report, “Lipid Replacement and Antioxidant Nutritional Therapy for Restoring Mitochondrial Function and Reducing Fatigue in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Other Fatiguing Illnesses,” by Garth L. Nicolson, PhD, and Rita Ellithorpe, MD, was published in the August 2006 issue of the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, at www.haworthpress.com/web/jcfs .
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