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