According to a small study appearing in the journal Redox Report (2006; 11(3): 131-5), found that 20 fibromyalgia patients were under more oxidative stress than 20 controls. When compared to the healthy subjects, the fibromyalgia patients had a lower total antioxidant capacity. Total peroxide level and oxidative stress index was significantly higher in patients with fibromyalgia when compared to the healthy subjects. Also, the amount of pain suffered by the fibromyalgia patients seemed to correlate with their antioxidant status. The lower the antioxidant status, the more pain (as rated by the patients on a visual analog scale).