This is a thread to help with the evaluation of Robuvit for ME/CFS. We already have a number of threads for individual scientific papers on Robuvit, mostly for conditions other than ME/CFS. Hopefully, this one can serve to consolidate the discussion. 2020 paper of 40 otherwise healthy older men who complained of decreased vigor. Claims of improvements and reductions in oxidative stress. No mention of blinding in the abstract. Mentions that it has previously been shown to be effective in chronic fatigue syndrome. Exploring the concept of vigor and dysvigor in men of 50-65 years: effects of Robuvit®, 2020, Ledda, Belcaro et al 2018 PTSD treatment study of 18 women given psychological therapy and 16 women given psychological therapy plus Robuvit. Open label trial. The abstract reports that Robuvit cohort improved more than the cohort with psychological therapies alone. Supplementation with Robuvit® in post-traumatic stress disorders associated to high oxidative stress, 2018, Belcaro et al 2018 Fatigue in convalescence study. No mention of sample size in the abstract but it is noted that it is a preliminary study. Claims a wide range of improvements in the Robuvit group compared to the standard management group. Claims Robuvit has been successfully used in hepatic failure and in CFS. Robuvit®: improvement of fatigue in medical convalescence, 2018, Belcaro et al
Looks like a bigger molecule than pycnogenol https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0367326X10001413 https://www.robuvit.com/science https://www.robuvit.com/fileadmin/robuvit/robuvit_brochure_EN_161_WEB.pdf Oak>pine
Improved management of primary chronic fatigue syndrome with the supplement French oak wood extract (Robuvit®): a pilot, registry evaluation, by Belcaro et al. 2014. 2014 Unblinded study in CFS
After you get past the legal disclaimer (we just make this to sell to others who make products, not our fault what claims these others make), there's some pretty strong claims being made about its efficacy for CFS.
To the contrary, linking the existing threads on individual papers and having one place for general discussion might help us sort out just how many blinded trials for CFS have been done. Maybe there's something in it. Probably, given the commercial nature of the product and the track record of other anti-oxidant type supplements, there won't be. Edit - I've added a note to the first post to explain.
Am I the only one who thinks these crap unblinded studies are used as a marketing strategy for supplements (or other dubious therapies) to people who don't really care about the quality of the evidence?
There is a market for desperate people. People will pay lots of money for the suggestion they will get better. The product is not necessarily supplement or medication. The product may be the doctor himself/ herself. It could be a serie of treatments (Neurofeedback, brain retraining, Vagus nerve stimulation, Perrin technique), oxygen therapy, etc). It could also be a book or a membership (dr selling access to information). It may and may not be perceived as worthwhile, but in the end, we still don’t know what is wrong and whether we all have the same disease.
