Nutritional Endocrinology Practitioner Training (NEPT)
Clinical Pearl
September 25th, 2016 

Butyrate and the Microbiome

Butyrate is a fatty acid that’s important for protecting the gut from inflammatory and autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, and colon cancer. It’s the most important source of energy for endothelial cells. It’s a type of short chain fatty acid (SCFA) and has also been shown to prevent infiltration of immune cells from the bloodstream into adipose tissue.

Balancing butyrate levels is super important for health and nutrition practitioners to focus on with patients and clients, especially when working with people who are suffering from autoimmune issues and struggling to maintain optimal weight.

A healthy microbiome is critical to healthy levels of butyrate. Gut bugs make butyrate by fermenting certain types of fiber.

According to research posted in the Endocrinology section of the Nature Review, people with type 1 diabetes are deficient in butyrate-producing bacteria in their gut plus butyrate improves insulin sensitivity.

It’s clear that butyrate is linked to gut health, protection from cancer, autoimmune disease, obesity, and diabetes.

Here are 4 things you can do to optimize butyrate levels:

#1: Use oral butyrate supplements: A recent study in Alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics found that 4 grams per day for 8 weeks improved symptoms of Crohn’s disease.

#2: Eat butyrate containing foods: The problem here is that the highest concentration of butyrate is found in butter and other dairy products, which are problematic for most people.

#3: Balance gut flora: Ensure the flora producing the SCFAs, in particular butyrate, are the dominant ones.

#4: Eat the fiber that butyrate love: Particularly powerful fibers to consume are resistant starches, found in seeds, legumes, whole grains, cold potatoes, unripe bananas, and just about any vegetable. Of course, the diet needs to be customized to the person, and not all forms of resistant starch will be indicated based on other factors such as glycemic control, presence of bacteria in small intestine (SIBO), and food sensitivities.

 

And here are a few good articles if you want to read more:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16225487

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26729037

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20823773

http://paleoleap.com/butyrate-anti-inflammatory-fat/