Butyric acid, or butyrate, is produced by intestinal bacteria and acts as a protective agent for the digestive tract. When it is depleted, it is the intestines that suffer. In order to prevent a decrease in the production of this acid, it is important to implement a proper diet and use proper supplementation. Where is butyric acid found?

Butyric acidis a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) produced by bacteria in the large intestine. It is a by-product of the fermentation of dietary fiber and resistant starch that has not been digested in the intestines. By consuming undigested food residues, bacteria also produce valuable for the body:

  • acetic acid,
  • propionic acid
  • and butyric acid, which play important functions in the body, including protective against the intestinal epithelium.

Bacteria that produce butyric acid are mainly:

  • Eubacterium spp.,
  • Clostridium spp.,
  • Fusobacetrium,
  • Megasphaera elsdenii,
  • Butyrivbrio spp.,
  • Mitsuokella multiacida.

The source of their food are exogenous indigestible carbohydrates such as:

  • oligosaccharides (inulin, lactose, stachiosis, raffinose, alcohols),
  • resistant starch,
  • non-starch polysaccharides.

In addition, endogenous:

  • milk oligosaccharides,
  • mucins,
  • chondroitin sulfate.

In a he althy person who consumes enough fiber, the amount of SCFA produced by bacteria ranges from 300-400 mmol.

What are the properties and functions of butyric acid?

Butyric acid is known for its anti-inflammatory effect, because it inhibits inflammatory mediators in the intestinal mucosa. In addition, it is the main energy substance for colonocytes (cells of the large intestine), nourishes them and ensures their proper functioning.

Butyrate also ensures the integrity of the intestinal mucosa by reducing the risk of leakage in the intestinal barrier, which prevents too large particles of food from entering the bloodstream.

As a consequence, the likelihood of allergies or inflammation is reduced. Butyric acid also improves insulin sensitivity and can be used inprevention of colon cancer.

How to increase the production of butyric acid? Where does it perform?

A high-fiber diet is a diet that supports the production of butyric acid by intestinal bacteria. Therefore, it is worth reaching for products such as:

  • wholemeal bread,
  • dark pasta,
  • nuts,
  • thick groats,
  • as well as oatmeal and bran.

The latter, as shown in a study in Sweden, causes a significant increase in SCFA (study participants consumed 40 g of oat bran for 8-12 weeks, and the content of short-chain fatty acids, including butyric acid, was tested in the faeces).

Similar research was conducted by Hallert and associates who gave patients with ulcerative colitis 60 g of oatmeal per day. The effect was that after 4 weeks there was an increase in the production of butyrate by 40% in patients, and after 12 weeks there was a reduction in abdominal discomfort.

Other foods worth introducing into your diet to increase the amount of butyric acid are those rich in fructo-oligosaccharides, such as:

  • onion,
  • garlic,
  • asparagus,
  • bananas

and those with prebiotic properties:

  • unripe bananas
  • or chilled rice.

The production of butyrate is also positively influenced by such vegetables as:

  • carrot,
  • cabbage,
  • tomatoes,
  • potatoes

and fruits:

  • apricots,
  • apples,
  • blackberries,
  • blueberries,
  • kiwi,
  • oranges,
  • dried fruit.

When, for various reasons, an increased amount of dietary fiber is not beneficial to he alth, as it intensifies the existing ailments of the digestive system, e.g. abdominal pain, then it is worth considering supplementation with butyric acid.

It is not easy, because orally taken butyric acid or sodium butyrate are very quickly metabolized in the stomach and absorbed in the duodenum. So they don't have a chance to move to further parts of the digestive system.

So, in order for butyric acid to reach the small and large intestines, it must be properly encapsulated. For this reason, it is recommended to be careful when buying a dietary supplement in the form of butyric acid or sodium butyrate and pay attention to the form in which they are administered and whether the packaging contains information about the enteric effect of the preparation.

What does butyric acid help? For what diseases is it worth supplementing it?

Inflammatory bowel diseases

In diseases such as ulcerative inflammationcolon or Crohn's disease leads to persistent inflammation of the intestines (UC). Although these diseases have a genetic basis, their activation takes place under the influence of various environmental factors, including unfavorable diet.

For this reason, patients with the above-mentioned diseases are switched to an easily digestible diet, with a lot of fiber, and a butyric acid supplement in the form of sodium butyrate. As a result, the regeneration time of the intestinal epithelium is accelerated and the trophic effect is obtained.

Butyric acid is used in people suffering from intestinal inflammation, because it inhibits inflammatory mediators in the intestines and reduces the activity and number of neutrophils and macrophages. It also strengthens the protective barrier of the intestinal epithelium, which helps to heal and repair faster ulcers.

On the other hand, better nutrition of colonocytes, which follows supplementation with sodium butyrate, leads to their faster reproduction and maturation.

Diarrhea

Regardless of the cause of diarrhea (bacterial, viral), butyric acid supports the inhibition and regulation of bowel movements.

First of all, it normalizes the process of water and sodium absorption in the intestines and balances the intestinal motility. In addition, it has a protective effect, which is of great importance in bacterial diarrhea.

By taking butyric acid, pathogens no longer have such adhesion to the intestinal mucosa and cannot colonize as quickly.

Sodium butyrate also mobilizes the immune system, which is associated with greater activation of mast cells and macrophages and faster removal of microorganisms.

After taking it, a beneficial bacterial flora (appropriate strains of bacteria) develops, which show an antagonistic effect against pathogens such as, for example, Salmonella or Escherichia coli.

Irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder related to the intestinal motility disorder:

  • may be characterized by chronic diarrhea,
  • constant constipation
  • or alternating both.

Characteristic for IBS is that there are no organic changes in the intestines, anatomical defects, but the patient suffers from repeated:

  • stomach pains,
  • flatulence,
  • excess gas,
  • loose stools
  • and irregular bowel habits.

Very often irritable bowel syndrome is psychosomatic in nature, and stress plays a major role in its appearance. Becauseunpleasant symptoms from the gastrointestinal tract, the patient significantly limits his diet, often eliminating foods rich in fiber, promoting the production of butyrate and maintaining a he althy intestinal flora.

Therefore, people suffering from IBS may suffer from a deficiency of butyrate, and thus deterioration of the intestinal mucosa and unsealing of the intestinal barrier. This leads to further he alth complications and worse tolerance of other foods.

To restore the balance in the intestines and accelerate the regeneration of the intestinal epithelium, it is worth using exogenous butyrate in the form of a dietary supplement in this type of patients and slowly including products with a higher fiber content in the diet.

Research shows that butyric acid is able to reduce unpleasant ailments from the digestive system, which significantly improves the quality of life of patients.

Tumors of the lower digestive system

Butyric acid is of particular importance for people suffering from colon cancer or colon cancer, as research has shown that it is able to accelerate the death of mutant cells and activate the reproduction of he althy colonocytes.

This type of phenomenon was called the "butyrate paradox". No other short-chain fatty acids produced by gut bacteria can act on the cells of the gut in this way.

  • Prebiotics - types, effects and sources of occurrence
  • Microbiome - what is it and what are its functions?
  • Microbiota. The effect of gut bacteria on the body

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