Butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), is gaining a lot of hype in the health and wellness sphere. From social media trends adamant on pushing its diverse benefits. The trending hashtag #butyrate is now commonplace on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Twitter, with users touting it for everything from digestion to mental wellbeing.
Influencers and social media users in the wellness and health sphere have been guzzling down kombucha, adding fiber-rich sauerkraut to soup or taking supplements to boost their butyrate content in their bodies. However, scientific research has been exploring its potential to demonstrate how butyrate is emerging as a key player in gut health and overall well-being. So, what is butyrate and does it have all these magical properties as claimed?
Understanding Butyrate: A Short-Chain Fatty Acid
Butyrate, also known as butyric acid or butanoic acid, is a saturated fatty acid naturally produced in the gut when good bacteria ferment dietary fibre in the colon. It is one of the most abundant short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the gut, along with acetate and propionate. SCFAs like butyrate are imperative to the digestive system because they provide energy to your colon cells. Butyrate is the primary energy source for these cells in the colon, providing approximately 70% of their energy needs. Registered dietitian and gut microbiome researcher Gail Cresci, PhD, RD, has emphasized the remarkable benefits of butyrate for the body: ”It’s amazing how many beneficial things it does for the body,” she says.
Sources of Butyrate: Food and Gut Production
While butyrate is naturally produced in the gut, it can also be obtained through dietary sources. Foods that contain butyric acid include butter, ghee, cow’s milk, sheep’s milk, goat’s milk and breast milk. Other consumables and food that contain butyric acid are Parmesan cheese, red meat like beef, vegetable oils, grains, legumes, starches, amongst others.
Butter, for instance, has about 11% of its saturated fat content consisting of SCFAs, approximately half of which is butyric acid. However, the amount of butyrate obtained from these food sources is typically small compared to what the gut bacteria produce through fermentation of dietary fibre. To improve butyrate production, it’s important to consume foods rich in fermentable fiber, which include grains like oats, legumes like chickpeas, fruits and vegetables high in fermentable fibre. Consuming a diverse range of these foods and also maintaining hydration can provide the necessary substrates and enough fibre to produce butyrate and manage gut health effectively.
Potential Health Benefits of Butyrate
Early research suggests that butyrate plays an imperative role in maintaining your digestive system health and may offer a range of other potential health benefits. Its myriad of health benefits include relief of gastrointestinal issues, reducing colon cancer, treating cardiovascular diseases, improving sleep and increasing insulin sensitivity to name a few. Let’s further delve in the beneficial properties of butyrate.
1. Protect Your Brain:
Emerging research suggests that butyrate-friendly foods and supplements may improve brain health. Research speculates that butyrate can protect your brain and improve brain plasticity. Improving brain plasticity allows the brain to change its structure and improve its function. Early studies suggest it may help prevent or treat stroke, depression, and other diseases like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Relieving Gastrointestinal Issues:
Butyrate plays a significant role in supporting the gut barrier, which helps prevent microbes and bacteria from entering the bloodstream. This function is imperative in potentially reducing the risk of severe conditions like sepsis. Butyrate supplementation, notably sodium butyrate, has been explored for its benefits in managing gastrointestinal issues. Butyrate aids in issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diverticulitis, and Crohn’s disease.
3. Reducing Colon Cancer Risk:
A diet high in dietary fibre, which encourages butyrate production, could lower the risk of colon cancer. In vitro studies using human cancer cell lines have demonstrated that sodium butyrate can inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer cells. It’s also shown to help maintain the cells that cause apoptosis (cell death). Butyrate has also been demonstrated to mitigate cell damage resulting from cancer or chemotherapy.
4. Reduction of Inflammation:
Studies have indicated that butyrate supplements may reduce the impact of pathogenic bacterial infections by reducing inflammation. This could help prevent severe conditions like sepsis. Additionally, low levels of butyrate have been linked to an increased risk of inflammatory intestinal disease and colorectal cancer.
Read More: Probiotics & Mental Health: A Guide to Help With Brain, Mood, and Gut Health
5. Enhancing Sleep:
Recent research indicates that gut bacteria, which are influenced by butyrate, may play a role in enhancing sleep quality. A 2019 study found that mice and rats treated with butyrate experienced a significant increase in non-rapid-eye movement (NREM) sleep, a crucial phase for maintaining both physical and mental wellness.
6. Increasing Insulin Sensitivity:
Butyrate helps produce gut hormones that regulate blood sugar levels, potentially improving insulin sensitivity and related symptoms in individuals with type 2 diabetes1. Studies have indicated a potential link between butyrate production and lower insulin resistance.
7. Treating cardiovascular disease
Butyrate has been suggested as a potential protective agent against various cardiovascular diseases. It may help circumnavigate the risks associated with atherosclerosis, heart failure, high blood pressure, and stroke. Studies indicate that butyrate can improve cardiac function by enhancing contractility and reducing systemic vascular resistance, which are beneficial in managing heart failure. Additionally, butyrate has been shown to reduce myocardial damage and inflammation, offering protection against ischemia/reperfusion injury. Its role in maintaining gut barrier function also contributes to preventing atherosclerosis by reducing inflammation and improving lipid metabolism.
Butyrate Supplements: Considerations and Caveats
While supplements claiming to boost butyrate levels are available, it’s important to exercise caution and consult with a healthcare provider before taking them. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), recommendations suggest an intake of around 25 – 35 grams a day per part of a 2,000 calorie diet.
Most supplements use butyric acid and some kind of salt, but their benefits have not been definitively proven.”The best way to get butyrate is to eat fresh fruits and vegetables that contain soluble fermentable fibre,” advises Dr. Cresci. “Feed your body so that it makes butyrate for you“.
Healthcare providers often advise against taking butyric acid supplements during pregnancy or breastfeeding due to insufficient data on their safety. Additionally, individuals with sensitive guts or those who experience bloating may need to refrain from consuming butyrate supplements or foods that have high doses of butyrate, as butyrate can exacerbate symptoms, particularly in those who require a low-fibre diet. Finally, people with obesity may not benefit from butyrate supplementation, as they often already have elevated levels of butyrate in their system.
Conclusion: Balancing Butyrate for Optimal Health
Butyrate is a vital short-chain fatty acid that plays an imperative role in maintaining gut health and overall health and wellness. While research is still ongoing in understanding its full potential benefits, early evidence suggests that butyrate may help reduce inflammation, relieve gastrointestinal conditions, lower the risk of colon cancer, increase insulin sensitivity, protect the brain, treat cardiovascular disease, and enhance sleep.
The best approach to increase butyrate levels is through a balanced diet rich in fibre-containing foods, which promote the production of butyrate by beneficial gut bacteria. While supplements are available, they should be used with caution and under the guidance of a healthcare professional.
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