If you're like most people, you're probably taking interest in improving your gut health. As several studies suggest, it's 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 isn't as simple as taking a probiotic. For one, you'll 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. It's generally produced by certain gut bacteria types when they ferment fiber in the human gut.
In short, it's 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 aren't 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:
1. Fights free radicals
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 body's defense against free radicals. It's a huge help in fighting off oxidative stress.
Just think about your large intestine.
Like a storage container for your body's waste, it's a good area for free radicals to form and proliferate. Without enough butyrate, you'll have a weak barrier to neutralize them.
2. Solves a leaky gut
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 they're most needed.
3. Supports brain health
The health benefits of butyrate aren't 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, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and even autism. It won't be long before it can be a potential treatment for such diseases.
4. Improves blood sugar
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.
5. Helps prevent cancer
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 cell's natural death.
6. Promotes better gut lining
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 there's not enough of it, the lining of your gut weakens, putting you at an increased risk of developing several gut issues.
7. Maintains proper levels of inflammation
It's normal to have a small but controlled amount of colonic inflammation. It's 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 aren't really that bad for you.
A histone deacetylase inhibitor, butyric acid shows anti-inflammatory properties.
8. Improves sleep
The gut-brain connection isn't 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.
Let's talk about brain-derived neurotrophic factors or BDNF.
This metabolite is quite critical in one's ability to learn and remember. Having high levels of butyrate increases its level.
In addition to that, butyrate benefits are also helpful in your brain's ability to rewire. This includes changing your routine or learning a new language.
9. Helps maintain normal blood pressure
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.
10. Prevents unhealthy yeast levels
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, you're 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.
1. Eat more foods that are already rich in butyrate
A really excellent source of butyrate is butter. However, it's 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 what's recommended can increase your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
2. Eat foods that boost your body's ability to produce butyrate
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 you're wondering if you have enough beneficial gut bacteria, you can always take Vibrant Wellness Gut Zoomer Test.
3. Take butyrate supplements
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.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of butyric acid benefits. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
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, it's 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 you're 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 it's true that butyric acid can help improve your gut health, having higher levels of butyrate isn't always better for your health.
Consider the following:
Butyrate production, at normal levels, can improve intestinal barrier function. However, when it's 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 body's 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 gut's butyrate production, it can help calm abdominal pain and bloating.
References
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
Butyric acid is a vital fatty acid produced when the good bacteria in the gut break down dietary fibre. It is naturally found in animal fats and vegetable oils, however, the quantity of butyric acid found in food sources is less compared to the amount produced in the gut.
What is Butyric Acid?
Butyric acid is known as a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), which is one among the three most common SCFA's in the gut, along with acetic acid and propionic acid. These saturated fatty acids comprise about 90-95 % of the SCFAs in the gut that is produced when gut-friendly bacteria break down dietary fibre. Butyric acid is well-known to support digestive health, reduce inflammation and lowers the risk of diseases and promote overall health. It holds a significant role in providing colon cells with the needed energy to carry out its normal functions and also regulates blood sugar and cholesterol levels. It goes by other names such as butyrate and butanoic acid.
Incredible Health Benefits Of Butyric Acids
Fuels Gut
Butyric acid serves as a chief source of energy for colon cells, which make up the lining of the intestine. While most of the body cells utilise glucose as the main source of energy, the colon cells lining gut chiefly use butyrate, without butyrate these cells are unable to perform normal functions. The short-chain fatty acids offer an oxygen-free environment that supports the growth of gut microbes that controls inflammation and maintain gut cells healthy.
Also Read: Prebiotics: 5 Awesome Foods That Uphold Gut Health-Infographic
Potent Antioxidant Effects
Butyrate guards the cells against detrimental substances to keep gut healthy and disease-free. A colon is a storage place of the waster products. Higher levels of butyrate have shown to increase levels of glutathione, an antioxidants made in the system which neutralises free radicals in the gut. This improves the barrier function of the colonocytes and lowers the risk of bowel cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Prevents Cancer
Regular intake of high fibre diet increases the amount of butyric acid produced in the gut which is well-known to reduce the risk of colon cancer. Studies have proven that butyric acid is a potential to prevent and treat colon cancer by blocking the growth of colorectal tumour cells. Moreover, it also leads to apoptosis that stops the growth of cancer cells completely.
Manages Diabetes
Studies show that butyrate stimulates the secretion of gut hormones such as glucagon 'like-peptide -1(GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY).GLP-1 hormones increase insulin secretion and lower the production of glucagon in the pancreas. While the PYY hormones promote the uptake of glucose in muscles and fatty tissue. Thus the presence of butyric acid increases the secretion of gut hormones that regulate type 2 diabetes and control weight
Boosts Brain Health
Butyric acid plays a key role in promoting neuroprotective effects that trigger brain and nervous system function. Butyrate targets several pathways linked with the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's stroke and autism. A diet abundant in butyric acid is an effective way to improve disease outcomes and uplift overall health.
Food Sources Rich In Butyric Acid
Generally, most of the butyric acid in the body is made from the gut bacteria. While some amount of butyric acid is also found naturally in food sources which include:
Ghee
Cow's milk
Butter
Sheep's milk
Breast milk
Parmesan cheese
Red meat
Vegetable oils
Sauerkraut
Butter is one of the richest sources of butyric acid. It is also available in the form of dietary supplement as sodium butyrate. However, increasing the intake of dietary fibre can also help to boost butyric acid level in the gut. The gut bacteria chiefly feed on resistant starches which the body can't break down. Some of the good sources of resistant starches, pectin found in many fruits and inulin.
Also Read: Dietary Fibre And Its Role In Preventing Chronic Diseases
Garlic
Onions
Asparagus
Potatoes
Bananas
Apples
Apricots
Carrots
Oat bran
Conclusion:
Butyric acid is one of the most beneficial short-chain fatty acids that play a key role in uplifting digestive health, reduces inflammation, protects the brain, manages weight and prevent cancer. The gut bacteria in the body make butyrate from the foods you can't digest, which renders the body with a host of health benefits. Enriching your diet with fibre will help to elevate the butyric acid production by the gut flora.
Disclaimer:
Butyric acid is one of the most beneficial short-chain fatty acids that play a key role in uplifting digestive health, reduces inflammation, protects the brain, manages weight and prevent cancer. The gut bacteria in the body make butyrate from the foods you can't digest, which renders the body with a host of health benefits. Enriching your diet with fibre will help to elevate the butyric acid production by the gut flora.
The content provided here is for informational purposes only. This blog is not intended to substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider for any questions or concerns you may have regarding a medical condition. Reliance does not endorse or recommend any specific tests, physicians, procedures, opinions, or other information mentioned on the blog.
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