ArchiveSee matrix →ES
Mechanism

Butyrate

A short-chain fatty acid that gut bacteria produce when they ferment fiber. The colon's preferred fuel and a precursor of BHB. An HDAC inhibitor; it modulates gene expression and gut barrier integrity.
Category
Mechanism
Scientific evidence
Moderate
Number of findings
3
Sources
Our own summaries · Cited studies

Effect by goal · level of evidence

Gut and IBD

improves Moderate preclinical and RCT (AA)
Gut barrier

Strengthens tight junctions via AMPK; provides more than 70% of the energy of colon cells.

View the study (preclinical) →

Inflammation

reduces Moderate preclinical (A)
Epigenetic anti-inflammatory

HDAC inhibitor: epigenetically modulates the expression of proinflammatory genes.

Diabetes

improves Low-moderate observational (A)
Microbiota-metabolism axis

Low levels in stool are associated with type 2 diabetes; exercise, TRE, and omega-3s increase butyrate-producing bacteria.

In depth

⏱ 1 min read

ButyrateExerciseFastingGutIntestinal Permeability

Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid that gut bacteria produce during the fermentation of dietary fiber, and it is at once the preferred fuel of the cells lining the colon and one of the most important signaling molecules of the gut-brain axis; low concentrations of butyrate in blood, colon, liver, and brain have been associated with diseases as diverse as ulcerative colitis, type 2 diabetes, depression, and colorectal cancer, reflecting the breadth of its influence on human physiology.

Butyrate is the precursor of beta-hydroxybutyrate or BHB, the ketone body that the liver produces during fasting, exercise, or ketogenic diets; this chemical connection establishes a fascinating bridge between the gut microbiota and ketone energy metabolism, suggesting that part of the benefits of dietary fiber for metabolic health could be mediated by the production of ketone precursors in the gut; in addition, butyrate acts as an inhibitor of histone deacetylases or HDACs, like BHB, modulating gene expression in multiple tissues through epigenetic mechanisms.

Strategies to increase butyrate

Evidence-backed strategies to increase butyrate production include increasing the intake of fermentable fiber from legumes, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables; regular aerobic exercise, which in a six-week study of adults increased butyrate-producing microbes in the gut independently of dietary changes; time-restricted eating or TRE, which remodeled the gut microbiome by increasing the rate of butyrate production by bacteria of the Lachnospiraceae family; and the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, whose intake increased the concentration of butyrate-producing bacteria in several studies.

References

  1. Roediger, W.E. (1982). Utilization of nutrients by isolated epithelial cells of the rat colon. Gastroenterology 83, 2.
  2. Hamer, H.M. et al. (2008). Review article: the role of butyrate on colonic function. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 27, 2.
  3. Hu, S. et al. (2010). The microbe-derived short chain fatty acid butyrate targets miRNA-dependent p21 gene expression. Mol Cancer Res 9, 3.
  4. Qin, J. et al. (2012). A metagenome-wide association study of gut microbiota in type 2 diabetes. Nature 490, 7418.
  5. Cahill, G.F. (2006). Fuel metabolism in starvation. Annu Rev Nutr 26.
  6. Watson, H. et al. (2018). A randomised trial of the effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements on the human intestinal microbiota. Gut 67, 11.
  7. Allen, J.M. et al. (2018). Exercise Alters Gut Microbiota Composition and Function in Lean and Obese Humans. Med Sci Sports Exerc 50, 4.
  8. Cignarella, F. et al. (2018). Intermittent Fasting Confers Protection in CNS Autoimmunity by Altering the Gut Microbiota. Cell Metab 27, 6.
  9. Stubbs, B.J. et al. (2017). A Ketone Ester Drink Lowers Human Ghrelin and Appetite. Obesity 25, 2.
  10. Peng, L. et al. (2009). Butyrate enhances the intestinal barrier by facilitating tight junction assembly via activation of AMP-activated protein kinase. J Nutr 139, 9.

Information, not medical advice. Scientific evidence reflects the quality of the studies.

Loading assistant…