Nov. 27, 2024
If youre like most people, youre probably taking interest in improving your gut health. As several studies suggest, its one of the keys to optimizing your overall health.
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The focus is on improving your microbiome, and the number one reason for this is to get the butyrate benefits that comes with having the right types of gut bacteria.
However, working on your gut health isnt as simple as taking a probiotic. For one, youll need to make the right lifestyle and dietary changes, especially the prebiotic fibers that will boost your butyrate levels.
What Is Butyrate?
Butyrate or butyric acid is classified as a short chain fatty acid or SCFA. Its generally produced by certain gut bacteria types when they ferment fiber in the human gut.
In short, its one of the byproducts of breaking down large and complex molecules in your large intestines. Think of resistant starches and fibers as examples.
Imagine this:
When you eat green bananas or oats, your colon cells struggle to tear them apart and break them down. This means that they get to stay and survive.
However, when they reach your large intestine, it becomes a totally different story. The bacterial species present in the area rip them apart to find useful molecules they can extract.
While the entire process is happening, butyric acid is created.
The 10 Butyrate Benefits
The butyrate benefits arent limited to your colon. It also plays an important role in the functions of other body systems.
Below is a list of 10 of its most important health benefits:
Free radicals are those unstable molecules that cause problems in your body. As they build up in your cells, they damage other molecules like proteins, lipids, and even your DNA. The damage they cause put you at risk of developing diseases such as cancer.
Possessing anti-oxidant properties, butyric acid can help boost your bodys defense against free radicals. Its a huge help in fighting off oxidative stress.
Just think about your large intestine.
Like a storage container for your bodys waste, its a good area for free radicals to form and proliferate. Without enough butyrate, youll have a weak barrier to neutralize them.
If you want your gut to stay healthy and free from issues, there must be enough butyrate in your gut lining.
Think of it as your intestinal barrier. It stops pathogens and toxins from getting into your bloodstream and making you sick. At the same time, it gives vitamins and minerals free access to your bloodstream so that they can go when theyre most needed.
The health benefits of butyrate arent limited to your gut health and gut microbiome; it can also benefit your nervous system with its neuroprotective properties.
Butyrate has the capability to target several pathways which are often associated with stroke, Alzheimers Disease, Parkinsons Disease, and even autism. It wont be long before it can be a potential treatment for such diseases.
The short chain fatty acid can boost the secretion of peptide YY and glucagon-like peptide-1. These gut hormones can improve insulin production while limiting glucagon production.
Keeping both insulin and glucagon production within the normal range is one of the best ways to battle diabetes.
There are certain cells in your body that are able to change to specific types like your blood cell and liver cell.
When these cells fail to differentiate properly and they just simply grow in numbers, they end up becoming tumours. Eventually, they end up being cancerous.
Butyric acid is capable of promoting cell differentiation. Apart from that, it can also induce apoptosis or a cells natural death.
The lining of your gut is made up of colonocytes. These cells make sure that your colon is able to absorb the right nutrients. At the same time, they work hard to protect it against yeast, harmful bacteria, and other dangerous pathogens.
Colonocytes rely on butyrate as their main source of fuel. And when theres not enough of it, the lining of your gut weakens, putting you at an increased risk of developing several gut issues.
Its normal to have a small but controlled amount of colonic inflammation. Its helpful for your gut microbiome.
However, chronic inflammation is a different story. When your body is fighting off pathogens for a long time, it makes your body over-reactive. As a result, it ends up battling substances that arent really that bad for you.
A histone deacetylase inhibitor, butyric acid shows anti-inflammatory properties.
The gut-brain connection isnt a secret. This is one of the reasons why people who suffer from brain fog and poor sleep try their best to improve their gut health.
Lets talk about brain-derived neurotrophic factors or BDNF.
This metabolite is quite critical in ones ability to learn and remember. Having high levels of butyrate increases its level.
In addition to that, butyrate benefits are also helpful in your brains ability to rewire. This includes changing your routine or learning a new language.
The level of butyric acid in your system is inversely proportional to your blood pressure.
To simplify:
Having higher butyrate levels is equal to having low blood pressure. Having low levels of it means having high blood pressure.
This relationship is reflected in several studies, including the one that was done in . The study which involved rats showed the anti-hypertensive effects of sodium butyrate.
The presence of Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans spells bad news for your health.
Having good levels of sodium butyrate not only inhibits the spread of yeast but also makes it easier to get rid of them. There are even studies suggesting that it can also boost the effects of anti-fungal drugs.
How To Boost Your Butyric Acid Levels
After reading about the health benefits, youre probably thinking of ways to increase its level in your microbiome. In general, there are three ways to do that:
Doing the Vibrant Wellness Gut Zoomer test can help to identify if you are low in the butyrate producing bacteria, this will help to determine how proactive you need to be. Plus the Gut Zoomer will measure around 300 other gut bacteria and intestinal health markers.
A really excellent source of butyrate is butter. However, its not that ideal to consume a lot of it. The same goes for cheese.
For one, butter and cheese are loaded with saturated fat. Eating more than whats recommended can increase your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
A safer option is to increase your daily dietary fiber intake by eating more plant-based foods. Rice, boiled potatoes, whole grains, and legumes are good choices. You can also eat more fruits containing fermentable fibers like pears, apples, and kiwi.
Apart from that, you can add the following to your diet: Broccoli, Onions, Garlic, Chickpeas, Asparagus, Carrots, Potatoes
Now, why do you need to increase your fiber intake?
If youre wondering if you have enough beneficial gut bacteria, you can always take Vibrant Wellness Gut Zoomer Test.
If you are like most people who struggle to consume the recommended grams of dietary fiber per day, you can try taking probiotics. Some people experience positive results by doing that.
Or you can simply take butyric acid supplements, this is the fast way to get the butyrate benefits.
Now, if you are thinking of taking one, its best to talk to your healthcare provider first. This is critical if you are taking other medications or if you have existing health issues.
What Lowers Butyrate Levels?
One of the most common reasons behind low butyrate levels is the poor consumption of foods that trigger its production. Eating too much low carbohydrate foods and following a high-protein diet can lower your butyrate levels as well.
Taking antibiotics can lower the level of butyric acid in your system, too.
You see, when you consume antibiotics, they target bacteria that are responsible for the infection youre experiencing. In the process, they also affect the good bacteria in your gut microbiome. This decreases the bacteria that produce butyrate.
Do You Really Need More Butyrate?
While its true that butyric acid can help improve your gut health, having higher levels of butyrate isnt always better for your health.
Consider the following:
Butyrate production, at normal levels, can improve intestinal barrier function. However, when its present at high concentrations, it can induce apoptosis, ruining intestinal barrier function in the process.
Additionally, people diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease show lower levels of butyric acid. A literature review done in showed IBD patients have fewer butyrate producing bacteria.
Plus, if you have an extra sensitive gut, consuming extra dietary fiber may not be a good thing. It can irritate your colon, trigger inflammation, and boost intestinal motility which can slow down your bodys healing process.
If that is the case, consider starting an elimination diet. The low FODMAP diet is one excellent example. Although it may lower your guts butyrate production, it can help calm abdominal pain and bloating.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website butyric acid benefits.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov// Sodium butyrate (SB) preventing travellers diarrhea
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov// SB decreasing pain in IBS
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov// After 12 months, the study group noted a significantly decreased number of diverticulitis episodes in comparison to the control group. The subjective quality of life in the study group was higher than in the control group. There were no side effects of the MSB during the therapy.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov// reduced blood pressure
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov// In conclusion, results of the present pilot study indicate that oral butyrate is safe and well tolerated. These data also suggest that oral butyrate may improve the efficacy of oral mesalazine in active ulcerative colitis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov// This study demonstrated that butyrate is able to beneficially affect oxidative stress in the healthy human colon.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov// improved diverticulitis
The information in our articles is NOT intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
Our team includes licensed nutritionists and dietitians, certified health education specialists, as well as certified strength and conditioning specialists, personal trainers and corrective exercise specialists. Our team aims to be not only thorough with its research, but also objective and unbiased.
This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by our trained editorial staff. Note that the numbers in parentheses (1, 2, etc.) are clickable links to medically peer-reviewed studies.
The information in our articles is NOT intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
With strict editorial sourcing guidelines, we only link to academic research institutions, reputable media sites and, when research is available, medically peer-reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses (1, 2, etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
You may not have realized it, but chances are youve consumed something called butyric acid before, and believe it or not, your body produces it as well. Its true butyric acid, also known as butanoic acid or BTA, is a saturated short-chain fatty acid found in butter, ghee, raw milk, animal fats and plant oils.
Its also formed in and therefore found in our colons through the bacterial fermentation of carbohydrates like dietary fiber. Butyric acid supports the health and healing of cells in the small and large intestine. Its also the favored source of fuel for the cells lining the interior of the large intestine or colon. (1)
The BTA content in ghee is one of the main components that provides all those wonderful ghee benefits. Consuming butyric acid in foods like ghee or in supplement form has been shown to aid digestion, calm inflammation and improve overall gastrointestinal health.
People who suffer from irritable bowl syndrome and Crohns disease have been shown to benefit from butyric acid, and studies show promise when it comes to diabetes and insulin resistance too. BTA is also known as a potential anticancer fatty acid, especially when it comes to colon cancer. (2)
Im excited to tell you more about this extremely interesting fatty acid and how it can improve your overall health and how it already is without you even knowing it!
What Is Butyric Acid?Butyric acid is a colorless liquid that is soluble in water. Scientifically speaking, its structure is four carbon fatty acids with the molecular formula C4H8O2 or CH3CH2CH2COOH. Butyric acid has other chemical names, including butanoic acid, n-butyric acid, n-butanoic acid and propylformic acid. (3) Along with acetic and propionic acids, it account for approximately 83 percent of the short chain fatty acids in the human colon.
On its own, BTA has an unpleasant smell and bitter, pungent taste, with a somewhat sweet aftertaste. It occurs as esters in animal fats and plant oils. Whats an ester? An ester is an organic compound that reacts with water to produce alcohols and organic or inorganic acids. Esters derived from carboxylic acids like butyric acid are the most common type of esters.
BTA is generated in the large intestine together with other short chain fatty acids from the fermentation of dietary carbohydrates, specifically prebiotics like resistant starches, fructooligosaccharides and other dietary fiber. (4)
The names butyric acid and butyrate are commonly used interchangeably even in scientific articles and studies. Technically, they have slightly different structures, but theyre still very similar. Butyrate or butanoate is the traditional name for the conjugate base of butyric acid. Put simply, butyrate is almost identical to butyric acid, but it just has one less proton. Judging by scientific studies, they appear to be pretty much identical in their health benefits.
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Health BenefitsButyric has gained popularity for its ability to possibly help people shed unwanted pounds. Scientific evidence has shown that people who are obese (as well as people who have type II diabetes) have a different composition of gut bacteria. Short chain fatty acids are believed to play a positive role along with probiotics in preventing metabolic syndrome, which almost always includes abdominal obesity. (5)
Short chain fatty acids like butyric acid help regulate the balance between fatty acid synthesis and the breakdown of fats. In a animal study, after five weeks of treatment with BTA, obese mice lost 10.2 percent of their original body weight, and body fat was reduced by 10 percent. Butyric acid was also shown to improve insulin sensitivity, which helps guard against weight gain. (6)
Most of the evidence for linking BTA supplementation specifically to weight loss is based on animal research so far, but it does show positive effects in treating obesity naturally.
Multiple studies have shown butyric acids potential ability to fight cancer, especially cancer in the colon. Its actually shown an ability to modify nuclear architecture and induce the death of colon cancer cells. This is likely a huge reason why increased fiber intake has been linked with less colon cancer since higher fiber intake can typically equate to more butyric acid present in the colon. (7)
According to research published in the International Journal of Cancer, the role of short chain fatty acids, particularly butyrate, in colon cancer therapy has been extensively studied, and its tumor suppressive functions are believed to be due to their intracellular actions. This laboratory study further shows that butyrate treatment led to an increase in the programmed cell death of colon cancer cells. (8)
According to a scientific article, it looks like a high-fiber diet protects against colorectal tumors in a microbiota- and butyrate-dependent manner. (9) What does that mean? It means that most likely getting plenty of fiber isnt what fends off cancer on its own. Its eating a diet rich in healthy fiber AND having enough good gut flora AND enough BTA present in the body that can provides cancer defense in the colon.
In general, butyric acid can have a very positive impact on gut health, which greatly affects the health of your entire body. Short chain fatty acids like butyric acid can help keep the gut ling healthy and sealed, which prevents leaky gut syndrome and all kinds of issues linked to a leaky gut like IBS symptoms. This is a type of digestive disorder thats characterized by a group of common symptoms, including changes in bowel movements and abdominal pain.
A scientific article published in the Gastroenterology Review looked at butyric acids potential as an IBS diet therapy based on numerous studies conducted to date. Researchers conclude that butyrate supplementation seems to be a promising therapy for IBS. (10)
Some notable research included in the article was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study involving 66 adult patients with IBS who were given microencapsulated butyric acid at a dose of 300 milligrams per day or a placebo in addition to receiving standard therapy.
After four weeks, researchers found that subjects who took the butyric acid had a statistically significant decrease in the frequency of abdominal pain during bowel movements. After 12 weeks, subjects in the BTA group experienced decreases in the frequency of spontaneous abdominal pain, postprandial abdominal pain, abdominal pain during defecation and urge after defecation. (11)
Crohns disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterized by inflammation of the lining of the GI tract, abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition. Again, this is a disease related to a leaky gut. A study published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics was small, but it found that oral butyrate is safe and well tolerated, and may be effective in inducing clinical improvement/remission in Crohns disease. (12)
Another study showed that butyric acid can reduce pain during bowel movements and inflammation in the gut, both of which are extremely helpful to Crohns disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases. (13)
Short chain fatty acids like BTA truly play a crucial role in the maintenance of gut barrier integrity, which can help ward off a leaky gut and avoid an IBDs like Crohns.
A study published by the American Diabetes Foundation looked at butyric acids effect on the regulation of insulin sensitivity in mice consuming a diet high in fat. The study concluded that dietary supplementation of butyrate can prevent and treat diet-induced insulin resistance in mouse. Researchers also found that the mice treated with butyrate did not have any increase in body fat and the butyrate supplement actually appeared to prevent obesity. (14)
Researchers agree that more studies need to be conducted to further explore how butyrate affects insulin levels in humans, but it looks promising so far, which could have profound effects on treating diabetes.
Studies have shown the broad anti-inflammatory powers of butyric acid. Its believed that not only can BTA help inflammatory conditions, but it might also have a helpful ability to manage immune responses. (15)
As weve said before, inflammation is the root of most diseases, which is why having more butyric acid in your body could likely benefit many people with various health problems with inflammatory roots.
How to UseAn increased intake of highly processed, low-fiber, high-sugar foods has been shown to decrease levels of butyrate production in the large intestine. Supplementing with butyric acid might be a good idea if youre unable to obtain enough of it from your diet.
A butyric acid supplement is typically available at health stores or online. Its most commonly found in capsule or tablet form. Dosage recommendations vary by product. Some recommend one to six capsules/tablets after meals while others suggest taking one capsule three times daily with meals, a few hours before or after taking other medications. Its best to read product labels carefully and consult your doctor if you feel unsure.
If you prefer to get your butyric acid from foods, then the following are good choices: butter, ghee, raw milk and parmesan cheese. When looking for a high-quality butter, raw and cultured is best. This might be hard to find, however. Organic butter from grass-fed cows is your next best option. Some properly made kombucha (a fermented tea drink) can also contain butyric acid.
To naturally increase the butyric acid production in your body, you can up your intake of healthy prebiotics like raw Jerusalem artichokes, raw dandelion greens, raw jicama and under-ripe bananas.
Scientific research has found that fecal butyrate levels can vary greatly among individuals, but eating a diet high in resistance starches (like an under-ripe banana) typically increases butyric acid levels and may help maintain colorectal health. (16)
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Butyric Acid Interesting FactsButyric acid gets its name from the Greek word βούτρον, which means butter. Butyric acid makes up about 3 percent to 4 percent of butter. Ever smell rancid butter? That unpleasant odor is the result of the chemical breakdown of the BTA glyceride. While on the topic of gross odors, butyric acid is actually responsible for human vomits distinctive scent too.
During his extremely long life (102 years plus), a French organic chemist named Michel Eugène Chevreul is said to have first observed butyric acid in its impure form in . It was by the acidification of animal fat soaps that he was able to identify butyric acid along with several other fatty acids for the first time, including oleic acid, capric acid (naturally occurs in coconut oil) and valeric acid. (17)
Risks and Side EffectsIts hard to find any documented negative side effects of butyric acid supplements. If you take a butyric acid and experience any negative side effects, you may need to cut back on your dosage. Of course, if you have any serious side effects then you should discontinue use and seek immediate medical attention.
If youre pregnant or nursing, speak to your doctor before taking a butyric acid supplement. Also talk to your doctor if you have any ongoing medical conditions or if you already take any other medications before taking a BTA supplement.
To increase the production of butyric acid in your body naturally, focus on getting more foods that contain butyric acid like ghee and high-quality butter on a regular basis. Also increase your daily intake of fiber-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains.
If you can increase your intake of these prebiotics, then you can help increase the probiotics and short chain fatty acids in your body. This is a healthy and easy way to increase your butyric acid levels, not to mention your overall health.
Having the right balance of all prebiotics, probiotics and short chain fatty acids appears to not only improve minor as well as chronic gastrointestinal issues, but many studies show how butyric acid may have some serious cancer-fighting power, especially colon cancer.
What about a supplement? A butyric acid supplement might be helpful, especially if you suffer from an inflammatory bowel disease or are trying to prevent colon cancer. When it comes to weight loss, most of the evidence linking butyric acid to weight loss is based on animal and test-tube studies. A butyric acid supplement should definitely not be thought of as a magic weight loss supplement but might be helpful along with an overall healthy lifestyle.
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