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Butyric acid is a fatty acid that&#;s created when the good bacteria in your gut break down dietary fiber.
It&#;s also found in animal fats and vegetable oils. However, the amount of butyric acid found in foods like butter and ghee is small compared to the amount that&#;s made in your gut.
To date, only limited research has been done, especially on humans, to fully understand the benefits of butyric acid.
Early evidence looks promising, though. Researchers are continuing to look at the potential that butyric acid has for improving gut health.
Keep reading to learn more about the possible benefits of butyric acid and what researchers have unearthed about it so far.
Butyric acid is what&#;s known as a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA). It&#;s one of the three most common SCFAs in your gut, along with acetic acid and propionic acid.
These three fatty acids make up between 90 and 95 percent of the SCFAs in your gut.
SCFAs are saturated fatty acids that are created when friendly bacteria break down dietary fiber.
The primary health benefits of butyric acid and other SCFAs are their ability to provide your colon cells with energy. Butyric acid provides your colon cells with about 70 percent of their total energy needs.
Butyric acid goes by several other names, including butyrate and butanoic acid.
You&#;ve likely heard that eating fiber is good for your digestion. Part of the reason why eating more fiber may improve your gut health is because it leads to your colon producing more butyric acid.
Although clinical evidence is limited, early research suggests butyric acid could have several benefits, as outlined below.
Some research suggests taking butyric acid supplements could potentially be used as a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and Crohn&#;s disease.
In one double-blind, randomized placebo study, 66 adults with IBS received a daily dose of either 300 milligrams (mg) of sodium butyrate or a placebo. After 4 weeks, participants in the butyric acid group reported significantly less abdominal pain.
In another study, researchers gave 13 patients with Crohn&#;s disease 4 grams of butyric acid a day for 8 weeks. At the end of the 8-week treatment, 9 of the 13 participants had improved symptoms.
Most of the research looking at butyric acid&#;s ability to prevent or treat colon cancer has been done on animals or isolated cells.
In one study, researchers found that sodium butyrate blocked the growth of colorectal cancer cells. The same study also found it increased the rate of cell death.
Researchers suggest a higher intake of dietary fiber, which could increase the amount of butyric acid the gut produces, may help reduce the risk of colon cancer.
However, more human studies are needed to explore this.
People with type 2 diabetes often have low amounts of butyric acid&#;producing bacteria in their gut.
Animal studies have shown that increasing dietary fiber intake may improve insulin sensitivity and lower the risk of obesity.
However, at this point in time, there&#;s limited evidence to suggest increasing butyric acid in humans has the same effect on insulin sensitivity.
Most of the butyric acid in your body comes from the bacteria in your gut. The amount of butyric acid in food is small compared to the amount your gut bacteria produce.
Dietary butyric acid is found in the following foods:
Butter is one of the best dietary sources of butyric acid. About 11 percent of the saturated fat in butter comes from SCFAs. Butyric acid makes up about half of these SCFAs.
You can also take butyric acid as a supplement. Sodium butyrate is one of the most common forms of the supplement. You can buy this supplement at most health stores or online.
However, keep in mind that at this time, the benefits of butyric acid supplements aren&#;t well understood. Discuss the pros and cons with your doctor.
Increasing your dietary fiber intake is another way to boost the amount of butyric acid in your gut. The bacteria in your gut primarily feed on resistant starches your body can&#;t break down.
You can find these resistant starches in fruit, whole grains, legumes, and vegetables, like:
You can also find resistant starches in carbs that are cooked then cooled, like:
At this time, there aren&#;t any guidelines around how much butyric acid you need.
Increasing your fiber intake may be the best strategy for boosting the amount of butyric acid in your gut. Even the richest food sources contain relatively little of this fatty acid compared to the amount your gut bacteria create.
As of now, there&#;s limited clinical evidence about the safety of butyric acid.
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In the study mentioned earlier that found that butyric acid supplementation may improve IBS symptoms, the researchers reported no side effects at a dose of 300 mg per day.
However, if you&#;re pregnant or breastfeeding, you may want to avoid butyric acid supplementation.
One animal study found that giving pregnant and breastfeeding rats sodium butyrate led to insulin resistance and increased fat storage in their offspring.
At this point in time, only limited research has been done on humans to fully understand the benefits of butyric acid. However, the research that has been published so far suggests butyric acid may be beneficial for your digestive health.
Based on what we currently know, the best way to increase this fatty acid in your system is to boost your intake of dietary fibers. Fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains are all excellent sources of fiber.
Other foods like ghee, butter, and milk also contain some butyric acid. However, the levels are low compared to what&#;s produced when the friendly bacteria in your gut break down and ferment dietary fiber.
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Check social media, and you&#;ll find thousands of glowing posts for the latest microbiome buzzword: #butyrate.
From TikTok to Instagram to Twitter, users and advertisers are posting shoutouts to this short-chain fatty acid, claiming it aids in everything from digestion to depression. Butyrate enthusiasts are adding fiber-rich sauerkraut to soup, bingeing on butter and kombucha, and taking supplements to boost levels in their bodies.
But what is butyrate, and can it really do all that its fans say it does? Or is it all hype and no help?
Early evidence, mostly from animal studies, suggests the truth may lie somewhere in between. Registered dietitian and gut microbiome researcher Gail Cresci, PhD, RD, explains what you need to know about butyrate.
Butyrate is produced when &#;good&#; bacteria in your gut help your body break down dietary fiber in your large intestine (colon). It&#;s one of several short-chain fatty acids, which are named for their chemical structure.
Dr. Cresci has studied butyrate for more than a decade. &#;It&#;s amazing how many beneficial things it does for the body,&#; she says.
Butyrate (pronounced &#;byoo-ter-ate&#;) plays an important role in digestive system health by providing the main energy source for your colon cells; it meets about 70% of their energy needs. And it may provide other health benefits, too, including supporting your immune system, reducing inflammation and preventing diseases like cancer.
One type of butyrate is butyric (or butanoic) acid, a chemically modified version of butyrate sometimes used in foods and supplements.
Other types include:
Butter is a good source of butyrate, but you&#;d need to eat far more of it than is recommended; it&#;s high in saturated fat and can raise your risk of cardiovascular disease. Instead, boost your body&#;s butyrate levels by increasing your daily fiber intake with plant-based foods.
Because your body doesn&#;t break down fiber during the digestion process, it&#;s left for your gut bacteria to break down. Your healthy gut bacteria produce butyrate from dietary soluble, fermentable fibers that only they can break down.
Other sources include prebiotics and supplements that are high in fiber.
You can promote butyrate production by consuming foods high in fermentable fiber. For excellent natural sources, eat a healthy diet rich in:
Let&#;s break down some of those categories a little bit further.
Many fruits contain fermentable fibers, including:
Vegetables and legumes high in fiber include:
It&#;s wise to consume these foods in moderation (no more than 5% to 6% of your total daily calories) because they&#;re high in saturated fat and cholesterol. They include:
If you don&#;t consume much fiber, add it slowly to your diet and drink plenty of liquids to maintain hydration. You may experience some gas or bloating, but it&#;ll begin to subside in a couple of days, says Dr. Cresci.
&#;If you eat a lot of fiber and don&#;t drink a lot of water, you can get really constipated,&#; she says. &#;Also, look at your urine. Aim for a light yellow throughout the day, which means you&#;re adequately hydrated.&#;
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Some supplements may encourage butyrate production, but you should talk to your healthcare provider before taking any. Most supplements use butyric acid and some kind of salt, but they haven&#;t been proven to be beneficial.
&#;The best way to get butyrate is to eat fresh fruits and vegetables that contain soluble fermentable fiber,&#; Dr. Cresci advises. &#;Feed your body so that it makes butyrate for you.&#;
You may have low butyrate levels and a higher risk of infection or inflammation in your gut if:
Early research shows that butyrate can benefit your gut health, but we need more investigation to understand how it works in people and whether it has other benefits. Butyrate could encourage weight loss, stabilize blood sugars, maintain or improve intestinal function, and protect against or help treat disease.
Here are some benefits butyrate is thought to do for your body.
Studies have shown that butyrate supplements may reduce the severity of disease-causing (pathogenic) bacterial infection by lessening inflammation. This could help prevent potentially fatal conditions such as sepsis.
Researchers have also linked low levels of butyrate to an increased risk of inflammatory intestinal disease and colorectal (colon) cancer.
Butyrate supports the gut barrier, which keeps bacteria and other microbes from entering your blood. A sodium butyrate supplement may help with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diverticulitis and Crohn&#;s disease.
In one study, 66 adults with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who took a daily dose of sodium butyrate reported less abdominal pain. In another study, 9 of 13 people with Crohn&#;s disease reported improved symptoms after taking butyric acid every day for eight weeks.
Other research shows that a diet high in dietary fiber, which encourages butyrate production, could help lower your risk of colon cancer.
One laboratory study in human cancer cell lines found that sodium butyrate stopped the growth of colorectal cancer cells and caused cancer cell death (known as apoptosis). It&#;s also been shown to reduce damage caused by cancer or chemotherapy.
People with Type 2 diabetes often experience insulin resistance and obesity. Because butyrate helps produce gut hormones that regulate blood sugar levels, it may improve these symptoms. One study showed a potential link between butyrate production and lower insulin resistance.
Butyrate-friendly foods and supplements may improve brain health. Researchers have shown that butyrate can protect your brain and improve its ability to adapt (known as plasticity).
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Early studies suggest it may help prevent or treat stroke, depression and other diseases that affect the brain, like Parkinson&#;s disease and Alzheimer&#;s disease.
Some studies suggest that butyrate may help protect your body against widespread cardiovascular diseases. Heart and blood vessel problems can increase your risk of:
The promise of butyrate extends all the way to your bedroom. Emerging evidence suggests that your gut bacteria are a source of signals that promote sleep.
A study showed that mice and rats who received butyrate showed a dramatic increase in non-rapid-eye movement (NREM) sleep for four hours after treatment. NREM includes important stages of sleep for your physical and mental health.
It&#;s not yet clear exactly how much butyrate you need. According to the United States Department of Agricultures (USDA), the recommended intake for dietary fiber is 25 grams per day for women and 35 grams per day for men, or about 28 grams as part of a 2,000-calorie daily diet. Your value may be higher or lower, depending on your calorie intake. This fiber should be a mixture of soluble (butyrate-generating) and insoluble sources.
We need more research to know if butyrate is safe and at what levels, but here are a few concerns worth noting:
In other words, more butyrate isn&#;t necessarily better. As always, when it comes to supplements, don&#;t take advice from TikTok celebs. Talk to your healthcare provider instead.
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