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.
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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.
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
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).
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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You may not have realized it, but chances are you&#;ve consumed something called butyric acid before, and believe it or not, your body produces it as well. It&#;s true &#; butyric acid, also known as butanoic acid or BTA, is a saturated short-chain fatty acid found in butter, ghee, raw milk, animal fats and plant oils.
It&#;s also formed in and therefore found in our colons through the bacterial fermentation of carbohydrates like dietary fiber. Butyric acid supports the health and healing of cells in the small and large intestine. It&#;s also the favored source of fuel for the cells lining the interior of the large intestine or colon. (1)
The BTA content in ghee is one of the main components that provides all those wonderful ghee benefits. Consuming butyric acid in foods like ghee or in supplement form has been shown to aid digestion, calm inflammation and improve overall gastrointestinal health.
People who suffer from irritable bowl syndrome and Crohn&#;s disease have been shown to benefit from butyric acid, and studies show promise when it comes to diabetes and insulin resistance too. BTA is also known as a potential anticancer fatty acid, especially when it comes to colon cancer. (2)
I&#;m excited to tell you more about this extremely interesting fatty acid and how it can improve your overall health &#; and how it already is without you even knowing it!
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What Is Butyric Acid?Butyric acid is a colorless liquid that is soluble in water. Scientifically speaking, its structure is four carbon fatty acids with the molecular formula C4H8O2 or CH3CH2CH2COOH. Butyric acid has other chemical names, including butanoic acid, n-butyric acid, n-butanoic acid and propylformic acid. (3) Along with acetic and propionic acids, it account for approximately 83 percent of the short chain fatty acids in the human colon.
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On its own, BTA has an unpleasant smell and bitter, pungent taste, with a somewhat sweet aftertaste. It occurs as esters in animal fats and plant oils. What&#;s an ester? An ester is an organic compound that reacts with water to produce alcohols and organic or inorganic acids. Esters derived from carboxylic acids like butyric acid are the most common type of esters.
BTA is generated in the large intestine together with other short chain fatty acids from the fermentation of dietary carbohydrates, specifically prebiotics like resistant starches, fructooligosaccharides and other dietary fiber. (4)
The names &#;butyric acid&#; and &#;butyrate&#; are commonly used interchangeably even in scientific articles and studies. Technically, they have slightly different structures, but they&#;re still very similar. Butyrate or butanoate is the traditional name for the conjugate base of butyric acid. Put simply, butyrate is almost identical to butyric acid, but it just has one less proton. Judging by scientific studies, they appear to be pretty much identical in their health benefits.
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Health BenefitsButyric has gained popularity for its ability to possibly help people shed unwanted pounds. Scientific evidence has shown that people who are obese (as well as people who have type II diabetes) have a different composition of gut bacteria. Short chain fatty acids are believed to play a positive role along with probiotics in preventing metabolic syndrome, which almost always includes abdominal obesity. (5)
Short chain fatty acids like butyric acid help regulate the balance between fatty acid synthesis and the breakdown of fats. In a animal study, after five weeks of treatment with BTA, obese mice lost 10.2 percent of their original body weight, and body fat was reduced by 10 percent. Butyric acid was also shown to improve insulin sensitivity, which helps guard against weight gain. (6)
Most of the evidence for linking BTA supplementation specifically to weight loss is based on animal research so far, but it does show positive effects in treating obesity naturally.
Multiple studies have shown butyric acid&#;s potential ability to fight cancer, especially cancer in the colon. It&#;s actually shown an ability to &#;modify nuclear architecture&#; and induce the death of colon cancer cells. This is likely a huge reason why increased fiber intake has been linked with less colon cancer since higher fiber intake can typically equate to more butyric acid present in the colon. (7)
According to research published in the International Journal of Cancer, &#;the role of short chain fatty acids, particularly butyrate, in colon cancer therapy has been extensively studied, and its tumor suppressive functions are believed to be due to their intracellular actions.&#; This laboratory study further shows that butyrate treatment led to an increase in the programmed cell death of colon cancer cells. (8)
According to a scientific article, it looks like &#;a high-fiber diet protects against colorectal tumors in a microbiota- and butyrate-dependent manner.&#; (9) What does that mean? It means that most likely getting plenty of fiber isn&#;t what fends off cancer on its own. It&#;s eating a diet rich in healthy fiber AND having enough good gut flora AND enough BTA present in the body that can provides cancer defense in the colon.
In general, butyric acid can have a very positive impact on gut health, which greatly affects the health of your entire body. Short chain fatty acids like butyric acid can help keep the gut ling healthy and sealed, which prevents leaky gut syndrome and all kinds of issues linked to a leaky gut like IBS symptoms. This is a type of digestive disorder that&#;s characterized by a group of common symptoms, including changes in bowel movements and abdominal pain.
A scientific article published in the Gastroenterology Review looked at butyric acid&#;s potential as an IBS diet therapy based on numerous studies conducted to date. Researchers conclude that &#;butyrate supplementation seems to be a promising therapy for IBS.&#; (10)
Some notable research included in the article was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study involving 66 adult patients with IBS who were given microencapsulated butyric acid at a dose of 300 milligrams per day or a placebo in addition to receiving standard therapy.
After four weeks, researchers found that subjects who took the butyric acid had a statistically significant decrease in the frequency of abdominal pain during bowel movements. After 12 weeks, subjects in the BTA group experienced decreases in the frequency of spontaneous abdominal pain, postprandial abdominal pain, abdominal pain during defecation and urge after defecation. (11)
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Crohn&#;s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterized by inflammation of the lining of the GI tract, abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition. Again, this is a disease related to a leaky gut. A study published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics was small, but it found that &#;oral butyrate is safe and well tolerated, and may be effective in inducing clinical improvement/remission in Crohn&#;s disease.&#; (12)
Another study showed that butyric acid can reduce pain during bowel movements and inflammation in the gut, both of which are extremely helpful to Crohn&#;s disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases. (13)
Short chain fatty acids like BTA truly play a crucial role in the maintenance of gut barrier integrity, which can help ward off a leaky gut and avoid an IBDs like Crohn&#;s.
A study published by the American Diabetes Foundation looked at butyric acid&#;s effect on the regulation of insulin sensitivity in mice consuming a diet high in fat. The study concluded that &#;dietary supplementation of butyrate can prevent and treat diet-induced insulin resistance in mouse.&#; Researchers also found that the mice treated with butyrate did not have any increase in body fat and the butyrate supplement actually appeared to prevent obesity. (14)
Researchers agree that more studies need to be conducted to further explore how butyrate affects insulin levels in humans, but it looks promising so far, which could have profound effects on treating diabetes.
Studies have shown the broad anti-inflammatory powers of butyric acid. It&#;s believed that not only can BTA help inflammatory conditions, but it might also have a helpful ability to manage immune responses. (15)
As we&#;ve said before, inflammation is the root of most diseases, which is why having more butyric acid in your body could likely benefit many people with various health problems with inflammatory roots.
How to UseAn increased intake of highly processed, low-fiber, high-sugar foods has been shown to decrease levels of butyrate production in the large intestine. Supplementing with butyric acid might be a good idea if you&#;re unable to obtain enough of it from your diet.
A butyric acid supplement is typically available at health stores or online. It&#;s most commonly found in capsule or tablet form. Dosage recommendations vary by product. Some recommend one to six capsules/tablets after meals while others suggest taking one capsule three times daily with meals, a few hours before or after taking other medications. It&#;s best to read product labels carefully and consult your doctor if you feel unsure.
If you prefer to get your butyric acid from foods, then the following are good choices: butter, ghee, raw milk and parmesan cheese. When looking for a high-quality butter, raw and cultured is best. This might be hard to find, however. Organic butter from grass-fed cows is your next best option. Some properly made kombucha (a fermented tea drink) can also contain butyric acid.
To naturally increase the butyric acid production in your body, you can up your intake of healthy prebiotics like raw Jerusalem artichokes, raw dandelion greens, raw jicama and under-ripe bananas.
Scientific research has found that fecal butyrate levels can vary greatly among individuals, but eating a diet high in resistance starches (like an under-ripe banana) typically increases butyric acid levels and may help maintain colorectal health. (16)
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Butyric Acid Interesting FactsButyric acid gets its name from the Greek word βούτ&#;ρον, which means butter. Butyric acid makes up about 3 percent to 4 percent of butter. Ever smell rancid butter? That unpleasant odor is the result of the chemical breakdown of the BTA glyceride. While on the topic of gross odors, butyric acid is actually responsible for human vomit&#;s distinctive scent too.
During his extremely long life (102 years plus), a French organic chemist named Michel Eugène Chevreul is said to have first observed butyric acid in its impure form in . It was by the acidification of animal fat soaps that he was able to identify butyric acid along with several other fatty acids for the first time, including oleic acid, capric acid (naturally occurs in coconut oil) and valeric acid. (17)
Risks and Side EffectsIt&#;s hard to find any documented negative side effects of butyric acid supplements. If you take a butyric acid and experience any negative side effects, you may need to cut back on your dosage. Of course, if you have any serious side effects then you should discontinue use and seek immediate medical attention.
If you&#;re pregnant or nursing, speak to your doctor before taking a butyric acid supplement. Also talk to your doctor if you have any ongoing medical conditions or if you already take any other medications before taking a BTA supplement.
To increase the production of butyric acid in your body naturally, focus on getting more foods that contain butyric acid like ghee and high-quality butter on a regular basis. Also increase your daily intake of fiber-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains.
If you can increase your intake of these prebiotics, then you can help increase the probiotics and short chain fatty acids in your body. This is a healthy and easy way to increase your butyric acid levels, not to mention your overall health.
Having the right balance of all prebiotics, probiotics and short chain fatty acids appears to not only improve minor as well as chronic gastrointestinal issues, but many studies show how butyric acid may have some serious cancer-fighting power, especially colon cancer.
What about a supplement? A butyric acid supplement might be helpful, especially if you suffer from an inflammatory bowel disease or are trying to prevent colon cancer. When it comes to weight loss, most of the evidence linking butyric acid to weight loss is based on animal and test-tube studies. A butyric acid supplement should definitely not be thought of as a magic weight loss supplement but might be helpful along with an overall healthy lifestyle.
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