Imbalances in gut bacteria can damage the thin lining of the gut, allowing harmful substances to pass through it into the bloodstream. These substances then trigger immune system dysfunction, resulting in widespread chronic inflammation that can negatively impact nearly every cell and tissue of the body.
Inflammation is at the root of many chronic illnesses, including digestive disorders, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
What we are only beginning to understand, however, is the reason why so many diseases start in the gut. Specifically, we are starting to recognize the important role that the trillions of microorganisms living inside our digestive system play in gut health and overall health and exactly what they do that’s so important.
In this post, we focus on their role in the production of butyrate (pronounced “byoo-ter-ate”). We explain what butyrate is, how it’s produced, the various ways it positively impacts your health, and what you can do to get more of it.
What Is Butyrate?
Butyrate is a chemical compound — a short-chain fatty acid. Fatty acids are the building blocks of fat in your body and in the foods you eat. Short-chain fatty acids are those that contain no more than six carbon molecules.
Most of the butyrate that your body needs is produced by beneficial microorganisms living in your gut — specifically in your large intestine, where these organisms break down dietary fiber through the process of fermentation. (Some foods, such as butter, also contain butyrate.)
Your body can’t digest fiber on its own, so when you consume foods that contain fiber, it passes through your digestive system mostly undigested until it reaches your large intestine, where beneficial microorganisms work on breaking it down.
During this process, they create and release various byproducts, including short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate. Butyrate is the primary source of fuel for the cells that form the protective lining of your gut — cells called colonocytes. These cells serve several crucial functions for maintaining gut health, including the following:
- Maintaining the integrity of the gut lining: The lining of the gut is semi-permeable. It allows nutrients to pass from the gut into the bloodstream while keeping potentially harmful substances contained within the gut so they can be safely removed as waste products.
- Optimizing nutrient absorption: As your digestive system breaks down foods, colonocytes are responsible for allowing them to pass into the bloodstream so they can be delivered to cells and tissues throughout the body.
- Maximizing production of mucin: Mucin is a gel that acts as a protective coating to protect the lining of your gut.
The Potential Health Benefits of Butyrate
If you’re low in butyrate, increasing your butyrate level can improve your health in numerous ways. Here are some of the many potential health benefits of butyrate:
- Regulates gene expression. Butyrate’s well-known epigenetic mechanism, through the inhibition of histone deacetylase (HDAC), helps to regulate gene expression. HDAC inhibitors like butyrate have a long history of use in psychiatry and neurology as mood stabilizers and anti-epileptics and are being investigated in the treatment of certain cancers and parasitic and inflammatory diseases.
- Alleviates gastrointestinal conditions, such as Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis, and colon cancer. Butyrate supports the integrity of the gut lining while reducing inflammation, maintaining cellular health, and facilitating apoptosis — the destruction of unhealthy, potentially cancerous cells. It also regulates colonic motility (the movement of food and waste through the gut) and increases blood flow in the colon.
- Reduces inflammation. Optimal levels of butyrate and other short-chain fatty acids help to regulate immune function, facilitate healthy cell growth and cell death (apoptosis), and coordinate the production and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and other immune-signaling molecules.
- Improves insulin sensitivity. Butyrate supports the production of gut hormones that regulate blood sugar levels, which can help in the treatment of insulin resistance — a condition that occurs when the body’s cells become less sensitive to insulin, which sets the stage for Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other metabolic diseases.
- Protects the brain. Butyrate helps to maintain the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain from harmful chemicals. Early studies suggest that it may help to prevent or treat stroke, depression, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Supports cardiovascular health. Some studies suggest that butyrate may help to protect the body against conditions such as atherosclerosis (narrowing of the blood vessels), high blood pressure, and stroke.
- Enhances sleep. In a 2019 study, mice and rats that received butyrate experienced a dramatic increase in non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep for four hours after treatment. NREM is characteristic of the restorative sleep stages that are essential for physical and mental health.
- Supports a healthy metabolism. Butyrate has regulatory effects on body weight and composition, lipid and glucose metabolism, appetite, and thermogenesis (the production of heat within the body).
Boosting Your Butyrate Level
The most effective and healthy way to boost your butyrate level is to consume foods high in dietary fiber, such as the following:
- Vegetables, especially artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, green peas, leafy greens, and onions
- Fruits, including apples, bananas (especially green ones), apricots, kiwi, pears, and berries
- Legumes such as chickpeas
- Whole grains
- Resistant starches such as boiled potatoes and rice
By increasing your consumption of dietary fiber, you’re feeding the microorganisms in your gut that produce butyrate naturally.
Recommended: If you’re accustomed to eating a low-fiber diet, increase your consumption of it gradually and drink plenty of fluids (mostly water). Eating lots of fiber without sufficient fluid intake can result in gas, bloating, and constipation.
Full-fat dairy products, such as butter, cheese, ghee, and milk (cow, sheep, and goat’s milk) contain butyrate, but you should consume these foods in moderation — no more than 5 to 6 percent of your total daily calories.
Keep in mind: Some people have sensitivity to dairy products, including dairy products that are pasteurized. This may be because raw dairy’s many benefits are lost in the pasteurization process. For this reason, dairy may not be a great source of butyrate for some people. If you suspect that’s the case for you, discuss this with your healthcare provider.
You can also boost your butyrate level by taking a fiber supplement such as flaxseed (with sufficient water), a daily high-quality probiotic, or a quality butyrate supplement, such as BodyBio Calcium/Magnesium Butyrate or Sodium Butyrate.
There are also liquid butyrate products including SunButyrate™ -TG Liquid — a butyrate-rich triglyceride oil that is said to promote “intestinal health, gut barrier integrity, cytokine balance in the G.I. tract, bowel motility, and abdominal comfort”* (*these statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration).
Increasing butyrate can be a powerful component of your personalized healthcare plan, but keep in mind that it’s not a cure-all and that not everyone needs to increase their level of butyrate.
We encourage you to consult with a functional and integrative healthcare professional for examination and testing before embarking on any treatment plan. If you’re in or near Tampa, Florida, we can help. Contact us to schedule your initial consultation.
Disclaimer: The information in this blog post about butyrate is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect current medical thinking or practices. No information contained in this post should be construed as medical advice from the medical staff at BioDesign Wellness Center, Inc., nor is this post intended to be a substitute for medical counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information included in, or accessible through, this post without seeking the appropriate medical advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a licensed medical professional in the recipient’s state, country or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction.