CFS and your weight

Prospective Study of Body Mass Index, Weight Change, and Fatigue in
Acute Infectious Mononucleosis

Journal: J of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Vol. 14, No.3, 2007, pp. 27-36

Authors:Ellen A. Schur, Carolyn Noonan, Dedra S. Buchwald


Objective: To examine the influence of body mass index (BMI) and
weight change on fatigue severity and failure to recover in
individuals with acute infectious mononucleosis.

Methods: We prospectively studied 148 individuals presenting with a
positive monospot test. We obtained measured weights and vitality
subscale scores from the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) at the
index visit and at 6 months.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 21 years and 24% were
overweight or obese. During acute illness, overweight and obese
participants had an adjusted odds ratio for low vitality scores of
2.9 (confidence interval 1.2-7.1) compared to normal weight subjects.
Neither index BMI nor 6-month weight gain was significantly
associated with prolonged fatigue or failure to recover.

Conclusion: Overweight and obese patients with acute infectious
mononucleosis are more likely to experience severe fatigue. In
contrast, neither baseline weight nor weight gain appear to impede recovery.


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Do not let any doctor tell you that you got sick because you're overweight.  I was 10 pounds underweight when I got the virus.  I had been sick for 14 years before my weight finally got out of the "normal" range for the first time.

Nonetheless, I had doctors blaming "obesity" (while I was still in the normal weight range!) for the problems because they couldn't process that the weight gain was the result of the virus, not vice versa.  They hear what they want to hear, and not what you say, so, in contradiction of all the prior medical records listing my weight as being normal, some of them noted that I'd always been overweight because that was what fit with their personal theory ... the heck with whether it was true. 

If your doctor wants to tell you that the cure for CFS is to lose weight, refer him to this study, then tell him to stop giving you pat answers and look for the real problem.  The solution to CFS is not found in "easy answers" or even "one size fits all".

Tags: CFS, CFS/ME, ME/CFS, weight, weight gain, obesity