Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) produced by the gut microbiota when fermenting dietary fibre. It has been shown to have a number of beneficial health effects, including reducing inflammation, improving intestinal barrier function and regulating metabolism.
A recent study published in the journal Gut has shown that butyrate can also reduce appetite and activate brown adipose tissue (BAT). BAT is a type of fat tissue that burns calories to generate heat.
The study was conducted in mice and showed that acute oral administration of butyrate reduced food intake by up to 20%. This effect was mediated by the gut-brain neural circuit, specifically the nucleus of the solitary tract and the dorsal vagal complex in the brainstem.
Chronic butyrate supplementation also prevented diet-induced obesity, hyperinsulinaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia and hepatic steatosis in mice. This was largely due to a reduction in food intake, but butyrate also modestly promoted fat oxidation and activated TAM.
The study findings suggest that butyrate may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of obesity and other metabolic disorders. However, further research is needed to confirm these findings in humans.
In addition to its appetite-suppressing and TAM-activating effects, butyrate has also been shown to have other beneficial health effects, such as:
- Reducing inflammation
- Improving intestinal barrier function
- Regulating metabolism
- Protecting against colon cancer
- Promoting wound healing
Butyrate is produced by the gut microbiota by fermenting dietary fibre. Therefore, one way to increase butyrate production is to increase dietary fibre intake. Other ways to increase butyrate production include taking probiotics, prebiotics and food supplements such as K-butyrate.
If you are interested in trying butyrate to improve your health, don’t hesitate to visit our online shop. Always consult a health professional, they can help you determine if butyrate is right for you and recommend the best way to take it.
