Yeast Byproducts in Fibromyalgia Patients

Please note: Although this article frequently refers to Fibromyalgia, the information also applies to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

• Fibromyalgia & Yeast (page 1)
• Tartaric acid?
• Where the Yeast is and Why it Causes Problems
  • Figure 1 - Tartaric Inhibition in the Krebs Cycle
  • Figure 2 - Effects of Nystatin on Urine Tartaric Acid
• Contributing Factors (page 2)
  • Figure 3 - Factors that Contribute to Yeast Overgrowth
• Testing - What to Expect, and How it can Help
  • Frequently Asked Questions About Yeast Testing
  • Notes on Our Testing from the book Detoxification and Healing: The Key to Optimal Health
• References
• Order a Test Kit

Fibromyalgia & Yeast

According to William Crook, MD, the author of twelve books and numerous medical articles, "CFS/CFIDS and FMS are often yeast-related.…Increasing evidence shows that a sugar-free special diet and antifungal medications may help people with these chronic disorders get well." (1).

At The Great Plains Laboratory, some of the reasons that yeast overgrowth causes so many problems are becoming clear. We have found that patients with fibromyalgia have abnormally high levels of yeast and fungal metabolites in the urine. One of the most prevalent of these yeast or fungal metabolites is called tartaric acid. We have found that this compound can be elevated as high as 50 times normal in adults with fibromyalgia.

Tartaric acid is a muscle toxin. When administered to experimental animal, tartaric acid causes muscle damage. In fact, as little as 12 grams have been fatal to a human (3). (One gram is about the weight of a cigarette.)

The main natural source of tartaric acid is yeast (2). The process in the body is similar to the wine brewing process, where tartaric acid forms a sludge and has to be removed from the final product (2). Wine is essentially sugar fermented by yeast into alcohol and byproducts.

Of course, humans do not produce this material. However, when yeast in the intestinal tract are fed sugar from the diet, they produce tartaric acid--just like the yeast in the wine-making process does.

Tartaric acid is also extremely elevated in many patients with fibromyalgia who also experience muscle and joint pain. Tartaric acid was initially discovered by Dr. Shaw, Director of the Great Plains Laboratory, in the urine of two autistic brothers with muscle weakness so severe that they could not stand up (4).

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Where the Yeast is & Why it Causes Problems

Tartaric acid is an analog (or close chemical relative) of malic acid. Malic acid is a key intermediate in the Krebs cycle, a biochemical process used for the extraction of most of the energy from our food.

Presumably tartaric acid is toxic because it inhibits the biochemical production of the normal compound, malic acid. Tartaric acid is a known inhibitor of the Krebs cycle enzyme fumarase (Figure 1) which produces malic acid from fumaric acid (5).

A large percentage of patients with fibromyalgia respond favorably to treatment with malic acid (6). I presume that supplements of malic acid are able to overcome the toxic effects of tartaric acid by supplying deficient malic acid. Treatment with the antifungal drug Nystatin kills the yeast and values for tartaric acid steadily diminish with antifungal treatment (Figure 3).

Fifty percent of patients with fibromyalgia often suffer from hypoglycemia (7)--low blood sugar--even though their diet may have adequate or even excessive sugar. The reason may be due to the inhibition of the Krebs cycle by tartaric acid.

The Krebs cycle is the main provider of raw materials such as malic acid that can be converted to blood sugar (Figure 2) when the body uses up its supply. If sufficient malic acid cannot be produced, the body cannot produce the sugar glucose which is the main fuel for the brain. The person with hypoglycemia feels weak and their thinking is foggy because there is insufficient fuel for their brain.

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Figure 1 - Site of tartaric acid inhibition of the Krebs Cycle, the major energy producing mechanism of the cell.

In addition to the inhibition of energy production, tartaric acid prevents the production of malic acid, which is a key intermediate in the production of glucose in the process of gluconeogenisis, the principal fuel for the brain.

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Figure 2 - Patient with high tartaric acid was started on the antifungal drug, Nystatin, and tested while on this drug. Even after 68 days, tartaric increased when the dose was reduced in half and then decreased again when the full dose was restored.

(Go to page 2.)

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