Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid made by the good bacteria in your gut, and its job is to regulate digestion and inflammation. This molecule is key to stopping leaky gut, which is often a root cause of autoimmune disease. Incorporating butyrate foods into your diet will support a robust microbiome and healthy gut, all while helping to keep inflammation under control.
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In this article we will be diving into the science of butyrate ' what it does, how it builds and maintains a healthy gut, and its connection to autoimmune diseases (AD). We explain why fiber is so important, and which kinds are the best fuel for gut microbes to make butyrate. Incorporating these fiber-rich, butyrate foods in your diet is an easy way to reap all the benefits of this short chain fatty acid.
Butyrate and butyric acid are often used to describe the same molecule, but they are slightly different in chemical structure. Butyrate is the conjugate base of butyric acid, meaning when you mix butyric acid with water, you get butyrate, and vice versa. Both molecules contribute to the science and benefits of what we refer to as 'butyrate' in this article.
Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) that gut bacteria produce as a by-product of metabolizing prebiotics such as dietary fiber and resistant starch. SCFA are metabolites, meaning they are produced by the breakdown of certain foods and nutrients, and SCFAs perform several important jobs throughout the body. The gut microbiota's incredible impact on our physical health is partly via all the metabolites they make. (Source)
Butyrate is produced in the colon and transported throughout the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It's extremely important for digestive system function, immune system regulation, and keeping inflammation in check. Many different autoimmune diseases are associated with low butyrate, which makes sense because this SCFA is a cornerstone of managing inflammation. (Source, Source)
Butyrate is continuously being researched for the full scope of its effects on the body but most of it is made in, and tends to stay in, the colon. Butyrate provides up to 95% of the fuel for the cells that make up the lining of the intestinal wall. These cells, called colonocytes, control bowel function and house a generous portion of the microbiome, making it essential that they work properly. Butyrate also aids the colon in water and electrolyte absorption to keep you hydrated and prevent diarrhea. It also works directly with immune cells, many of which have butyrate receptors. (Source, Source)
At the root of butyrate's immunoregulatory superpowers is its ability to change the expression of genes through a process called histone acetylation. Not all of your genes are being expressed at the same time, and they often provide different and even contradictory instructions to your cells and body. Several mechanisms 'choose' which instructions will be followed, one of which is histone acetylation ' a process where tightly bound 'inaccessible' DNA is unwound so it can be expressed.
Since your DNA is constantly telling your cells what to do and when, histone acetylation has a profound effect on GI function. Through this mechanism, butyrate stimulates cell death to prevent colon cancer, and reduces the oxidative stress and inflammation caused by toxins and harmful microbes passing through the colon. We'll dive deeper into this later when we cover how butyrate (or lack thereof) is connected to autoimmune diseases. (Source)
Butyrate's benefits extend to the whole body. It increases the insulin sensitivity of your cells to keep your blood sugar levels normal. High blood sugar drives inflammation and can ultimately lead to cells becoming insulin resistant, which is a root cause of diabetes, obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and potentially Alzheimer's. So having good insulin sensitivity is a cornerstone of health and protecting yourself from damaging inflammation.
Research has found that people with type 2 diabetes have less butyrate-producing bacteria in their gut microbiome. Some of butyrate's influence on gene expression also seems to impact heart health, specifically by preventing the deposit of fat in the walls of veins. Interestingly enough, multiple studies have found that people with cardiovascular diseases have fewer butyrate-producing enzymes and bacteria in their gut microbiome. (Source, Source)
About 70% of your entire immune system is housed in your gut, so unsurprisingly many autoimmune diseases are connected to gut dysfunction and an unbalanced microbiome. This explains why digestive symptoms are so common for people with AD. In fact, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and celiac disease result from immune system dysfunction directly in the small and large intestines. Other ADs, including lupus, Graves' disease, Hashimoto's disease, type 1 diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis are connected to GI inflammation and often impact digestive function. (Source)
Before we get into how butyrate helps to regulate autoimmunity, here's a quick recap on the gut-immune axis: Both the small and large intestines are lined with just a single layer of cells (epithelial cells) that gatekeep the contents of your gut from the rest of the body. These epithelial cells are coated in a protective mucus that keeps toxins out while letting water and nutrients in.
Because they constantly come in contact with the microbes, allergens, and toxins passing through your system, epithelial cells easily become inflamed and may contribute to symptoms such as bloating, fatigue, brain fog, and joint pain. Excessive inflammation loosens the tight junctions that connect neighboring epithelial cells to each other so that toxins and microbes can pass into your body, causing leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut has been identified as a root cause of autoimmune disease, so it's important to address it. (Source)
Butyrate supports digestive health by increasing production of protective intestinal mucus and decreasing intestinal permeability. A lot of the inflammation in your gut is driven by harmful microbes and allergens that the immune system responds and sometimes overreacts to. Butyrate both increases the production of antimicrobial peptides and also tamps down cytokine production, so that inflammation stays in check. This is especially important for people suffering from Crohn's and celiac disease, which are caused by an immune system attack on the gut lining that damages the cells and mucus layer.
Autoimmunity occurs in part because regulatory T-cells that suppress the immune response don't work properly. Without the T-cells preventing the immune system from attacking itself, your risk of developing an AD or having a flare-up increases. Butyrate and other SCFAs made in the gut stimulate regulatory T-cell production, a critical process for shutting off these autoimmune responses. (Source, Source)
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a condition that occurs when the nervous system doesn't properly control intestinal movement, causing constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, and abdominal pain. If you have an autoimmune disease, you are even more likely to have IBS. This dysfunction is driven by a number of causes, including dietary FODMAPs, gut dysbiosis, and stress.
It's also very common ' an astounding 45 million people in the US struggle with IBS. Research confirms that people with IBS have fewer butyrate-producing bacteria in their gut, which makes sense given how important this molecule is for regulating digestive health. Both the constipation and the diarrhea caused by IBS damage the gut microbiome and drive inflammation. (Source, Source)
Butyrate has been extensively researched for its ability to support intestinal health by regulating bowel function and reducing the uncomfortable symptoms associated with IBS.'' In a study done in , those with IBS experienced clinically significant relief from symptoms when given a 150 mg dose of sodium butyrate twice a day for 3 months, with 93% of the participants wanting to continue taking sodium butyrate after the trial had ended. Butyrate was found to be effective at regulating bowel function and is now used therapeutically to manage IBS symptoms.'' (Source)
What is Butyrate and What Are Its Health Benefits?
To learn more about butyrate, watch Pendulum CSO John Eid's conversation about butyrate on the Dr. Gundry podcast.
Butyrate is an important short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) that appears to be intimately tied to health.
Despite its importance, however, many people may not be getting enough of this essential postbiotic.
Humans can't make butyrate on their own. Instead, we get butyrate from our food and from a series of reactions that take place in the gut microbiome.
These "reactions" are what convert dietary fibers into a bounty of butyrate.
The loss of butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut microbiome can have far-reaching effects in the human body.
If you are looking to increase the levels of butyrate-producing bacteria in your gut, learn more about Glucose Control, which contains 3 probiotic strains that have been shown to product high levels of butyrate. Those strains are Clostrdium butyricum, Anaerobutyricum hallii, and Clostridium beijerincki.
What is butyrate and how is it made?
The name "Butyrate" comes from the ancient Greek word for butter.
That's because the Greeks noticed that as butter or milk goes rancid, it takes on a potent smell, which is partly due to the production of butyrate in the dairy.
Butyrate is produced in the large intestine as a byproduct of soluble-fiber metabolism. Butyrate is often made in the process of breaking down large, complex, and resilient molecules such as fibers and resistant starches.
Humans rely almost entirely on bacteria to produce their butyrate, and it takes a lot of effort to break up these molecules'and human cells just aren't good at it.
When you eat foods that are rich with these molecules (e.g. green bananas, cold potatoes, or oats), your cells struggle to break them down. As a result, the fibers and resistant starches tend to survive the digestive process.
That is until they reach the gut microbiome'more specifically the large intestine.
Many bacterial species can use fibers and resistant starches as sources of energy. These bacteria absorb the fiber and resistant-starch molecules and then begin to digest them'ripping them apart and extracting the parts of these molecules that they find useful.
In the process, butyrate is formed.
This butyrate is discarded back into the gut where human cells can then absorb it and put it to use.
Like other SCFAs, butyrate serves multiple purposes within the body:
It often serves as an energy source for cells when sugar isn't available (it's one of the primary sources of energy for the cells that line the colon'also known as colonocytes)
Sometimes it's used as a building block to help cells construct larger molecules
Other times it functions as a basic signaling molecule, able to change a cell's behavior in dramatic ways (more on this below)
What are the health benefits of butyrate?
Dr. Emeran Mayer, a gastroenterologist, neuroscientist, and distinguished research professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, calls SCFAs the main currency of the microbial world.
Dr. Mayer says that SCFAs are a major influencer in maintaining proper functioning of the complex system of different cell types that interact with each other.
"Within the gut, butyrate receptors can be found in a wide range of epithelial, endocrine, immune, and nerve cells," says Dr. Mayer. "Because of the ubiquitous expression of these short chain fatty acid receptors on various gut cells, butyrate has a wide range of homeostatic effects on gut function."
One of the great things about butyrate is that once it's released into the gut, it can have both local and global effects on the human body.
Research into the effects of butyrate covers many diverse topics and is still very much a work in progress. But, here is what we do know:
Butyrate fuels your gut cells
The body uses sugars, fats, and proteins for energy. Being a fatty acid, butyrate serves as an energy source for some cells.
This is particularly true for colonocytes'the cells that line the intestinal barrier of the colon'which get 70% of their energy from butyrate.
Because colonocytes digest it, only about 5% of the butyrate made in the gut actually makes it into circulation.
When butyrate levels are low, colonocytes show signs of distress due to the lack of their preferred energy source.
Butyrate helps with managing type 2 diabetes
Butyrate has been well studied for its influence over blood-sugar levels.
Several studies performed in cells and mice have reported a link between butyrate production and the release of hormones that are known to:
Suppress the appetite
Promote the breakdown of fats
Increase sensitivity to insulin
The exact mechanism of how butyrate is linked to these hormones isn't clear. However, it likely has to do with the regulation of DNA and how or when sections of it are read.
Regardless of the mechanism, there is strong evidence to suggest that butyrate production helps regulate blood sugar levels.
One study showed that people with type 2 diabetes who were given a high-fiber diet had an increase in butyrate-producing bacteria that correlated with a >20% decrease in A1C levels (compared to a <15% decrease in the control group).
These results are echoed in numerous other studies showing that increased fiber and butyrate-producing bacteria improve blood-sugar regulation.
What causes low butyrate levels?
Humans primarily get butyrate from two sources:
Food
Butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut microbiome
Low butyrate levels can happen when there's a decrease in the number of butyrate-producing bacteria in your gut, you decrease the amount of butyrate-containing foods in your diet, or you body is less able to absorb butyrate.
Foods like butter and other dairy products are rich with butyrate.
Fiber is a major component in the diets of cattle and other farm animals, so they also have a gut microbiome that's capable of converting that fiber into butyrate, which ultimately finds its way into the animals' milk.
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If you don't eat much dairy, your body will have to look elsewhere for its butyrate.
Like all ecosystems, the gut microbiome is a complex environment where survival of bacterial species depends on their ability to get nutrients and outcompete other bacteria for scarce living space.
For butyrate-producing bacteria, this means they stand the best chance at survival when their host (the person whose gut they live in) eats fibers and resistant starches.
When these are lacking from the diet, the butyrate-producing bacteria may not be as competitive and are less likely to thrive.
As a side effect, lower levels of butyrate are produced.
Antibiotics can also dramatically shift the landscape of the gut microbiome.
Aside from targeting the bacteria that may be causing an infection, antibiotics also affect bacteria in the gut microbiome, potentially devastating the population of butyrate-producing bacteria (as well as other species).
Lastly, some health conditions'like type 2 diabetes'can affect the microbiome composition, which correlates with a decrease in butyrate-producing bacteria.
How to boost your butyrate levels
Fortunately, there are multiple ways to boost your butyrate levels.
In essence, each approach aims to make sure that:
You have a balance of butyrate-producing bacteria in your gut
You're giving these bacteria the food (i.e., fiber and resistant starches) they need to survive
What specific bacteria help create butyrate?
Production of butyrate is a collective effort as some bacteria partially break down carbohydrates (like fiber and resistant starches) and release the fractured molecules into the gut where other species can then convert these molecules into butyrate .
There are many species of bacteria that either contribute to the butyrate making process, or are responsible for the actual production of butyrate.
Here, we've listed some of the most common species responsible for producing butyrate:
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii
Eubacterium rectale
Roseburia spp. (Roseburia faecis, Roseburia inulinivorans, Roseburia intestinalis, and Roseburia hominis)
Clostridium butyricum
Clostridium beijerinckii
Eubacterium spp. (Eubacterium hallii)
Anaerostipes spp. (Anaerostipes butyraticus, Anaerostipes caccae, and Anaerostipes hadrus)
Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum
Additionally, species of bacteria in the Bifidobacterium genus are known to help carry out the first steps in fiber digestion, providing molecules to the gut microbiome that the above species can use to make butyrate.
Are there supplements/probiotics that can increase your butyrate levels?
Yes.
There are different probiotic-containing supplements that can help you boost the number of butyrate-producing bacteria'so called butyrate-producing probiotics.
Butyricum is a powerful new probiotic packed with a butyrate-producing strain that can help relieve occasional gas, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation.
In evaluating butyrate-producing probiotics, it's important to make sure that they have the right bacteria and come with a prebiotic to help those bacteria survive.
Another butyrate-containing probiotic is Glucose Control, which helps deliver several species of butyrate-producing bacteria (e.g. Anaerobutyricum hallii, Clostridium butyricum, Clostridium beijerinckii) as well as inulin to help these bacteria establish a competitive foothold in the microbiome environment.
In a recent peer-reviewed paper published in the January 8, issue of BMC Microbiology, it was discovered that people with type 2 diabetes who took Glucose Control during a 12-week, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized trial showed increased levels of butyrate and the secondary bile acid ursodeoxycholate (UDCA).
In people with type 2 diabetes who were also taking metformin, boosting butyrate-producing bacterial species is believed to help reduce their A1C and after-meal blood sugar levels.
This hypothesis is supported by recent findings using Glucose Control. In a double-blinded study, researchers gave patients with type 2 diabetes this probiotic for 12 weeks, measuring their change in blood A1C levels from the beginning of the study to the end.
What foods can increase your butyrate levels?
There are several foods that can help boost butyrate levels.
As mentioned earlier, dairy products tend to be high in butyrate.
You can also boost your butyrate levels by eating foods rich in fibers and resistant starches. In general, foods that come from plants tend to have fibers and digestion-resistant starches. As the specific strains mentioned above break down these fibers, it will produce butyrate in the large intestine.
These foods include:
Inulin
Guar gum
Agave
Bananas
Onions
Garlic
Jerusalem artichoke
Cooled boiled potatoes
Cereal bran
Oats
Barley
Wheat
Rye
Pears
Apples
Guavas
Plums
Oranges
What is butyric acid'and is it different that butyrate?
Butyrate and butyric acid are two forms of the same molecule.
Butyric acid is butyrate with an extra hydrogen molecule attached to it, which alters how it interacts with other molecules.
Butyrate can fluctuate between states, existing as butyric acid in one environment and then transitioning to butyrate in another (or vice versa).
Butyrate is the more common form of the molecule in nature.
Final Thoughts
After decades of research, it's clear that butyrate is an important molecule that can influence many aspects of health.
With the right diet and help from probiotics, it's possible to boost your butyrate levels and potentially improve many aspects of your health.
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