9 health benefits of bioavailable butyrate for your mind, body and gut
Butyrate is the foundation of gut health and human health, and it’s made by the gut microbiome. We can supplement with it, but only in a patented bioavailable form of butyrate. This is important to understand because it’s been said that all diseases start in the gut. That’s how powerful the gut is to our overall health. Here’s what you need to know about butyrate.
Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) produced through the fermentation of dietary fibers in the colon. Because only 5% of Americans are eating enough fiber, we are severely deficient in butyrate. Butyrate has gained significant attention in recent years for its numerous health benefits. Emerging research suggests that butyrate plays a crucial role in maintaining gut health, improving brain function, enhancing immunity, and promoting weight management. This comprehensive guide delves into the nine key benefits of ingesting bioavailable butyrate. Just want to know what butyrate postbiotics are? Go here.
In this article, we’ll cover the 9 health benefits of butyrate
- Avoid bloating from occasional constipation
- Poop better
- Plug leaky gut with stronger barrier function
- Clear up your skin
- Enhance our brains and our mood
- Boost immunity
- Manage weight through appetite hormones
- Supercharge your vegetables, fermented foods, and resistant starches
- The superiority of patented tributyrin
Avoid bloating from occasional constipation
More butyrate, less bloating.
Butyrate may help reduce bloating by keeping inflammation in a healthy range, improving gut motility (aka “pooping better,”) and enhancing gut barrier function. While our brain and body uses glucose, or even ketones, for energy, the primary source for the colonocytes in our gut is butyrate. Butyrate for our gut is like gas for our car. Bioavailable butyrate promotes the optimal functioning of the gut, which can lead to a reduction in occasional constipation-related bloating. Furthermore, butyrate has been shown to reduce inflammatory cytokines to help improve overall digestive comfort.
Poop better
Butyrate’s positive impact on gut motility and the reduction of inflammation markers can lead to improvements in bowel regularity and stool consistency, as evidenced by the Bristol Stool Chart. Consequently, the regular consumption of bioavailable butyrate promotes a healthier and more regular bowel movement pattern. It’s kind of like “fast-acting vegetables.” Fiber contained in vegetables also help with pooping better, but the improvements can take a while. You typically poop better in just days after consuming bioavailable butyrate.
Plug leaky gut
Plug a leaky gut with a strong gut barrier. Many studies have shown one of butyrate’s main functions is strengthening gut barrier function by enhancing the expression of tight junction proteins, thereby reducing the risk of leaky gut. Our gut barrier is like a stretched trampoline—a trampoline that covers roughly 4,000 square feet. It’s far larger than we’d imagine, so it requires a lot of butyrate to protect it. A poor diet, a lack of exercise or excessive negative stress can poke holes in that trampoline. Thankfully, bioavailable butyrate is there to thicken and protect our gut lining and make it more like a solid brick wall than a porous chain link fence. Additionally, studies have shown repeatedly that butyrate can decrease the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and TNF-alpha, while increasing the levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, further enhancing gut barrier integrity.
Clear up your skin
More bioavailable butyrate, clearer skin.
Skin health is largely a function of keeping gut and skin inflammation in healthy ranges, as well as balancing the gut microbiome in case of bacterial overgrowth. Butyrate modulates gut inflammation for potentially positive effects on skin health like rosacea, acne or eczema that are linked to gut health. Additionally, the relationship between the gut and skin is a two-way road linked together by butyrate and vitamin A. Vitamin A is a well-known contributor to skin health. Many know it as “retinoic acid.” But vitamin A is also helpful in maintaining immune balance in the gut, as well as skin cell production. So, butyrate and vitamin A are partners in maintaining a proper balance for optimal gut and skin health.
Enhance our brains and our mood
Bacteria in our gut make neurotransmitters that travel to the brain and impact our mood and ability to cope with stress. One neurotransmitter is serotonin, our “happy” hormone. With 90% of the body’s serotonin made in the gut, it’s easy to see how powerful the gut and brain connection is on mood and stress. Butyrate has been found to play a role in the production of neurotransmitters such as GABA, serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which are essential for optimal brain function. Bioavailable butyrate influences the gut and brain connection by transmitting these neurotransmitters through the vagus nerve, influencing mood, cognition, and overall brain function. The gut and brain are not connected by “Bluetooth” – they’re connected by a large, wandering vagus nerve.
Boost immunity
More than 70% of immune cells reside in the gut, making gut health crucial for overall immunity. One of the darlings of immune health is vitamin D and bioavailable butyrate and vitamin D act synergistically to further enhance immune system function. While vitamin C, zinc or elderberry can help temporarily boost immune function, bioavailable butyrate is the foundation of gut health, and our immune system. Optimal immune function starts in the gut with healthy butyrate levels. Our immune system is so complex that it cannot be reduced to a single molecule. Adequate exercise, meaningful friendships, little negative stress and consistent sleep patterns are also crucial in optimal immune function.
Manage weight through appetite hormones
Animal studies have shown that butyrate can influence gut hormones, including GLP-1 and GIP. GLP-1 and GIP play a crucial role in appetite regulation, satiety, and energy metabolism. By modulating these gut hormones, it remains to be seen whether bioavailable butyrate may help control hunger signals and promote better weight management in humans. It’s obvious to everyone that “dieting” has not worked. The better approach to weight management is to look at the gut’s impact on metabolism. In addition to research on appetite hormones, research in animals has also shown that butyrate can stimulate the production of brown adipose tissue, which is known to increase energy expenditure and fat burning.
Supercharge your vegetables, fermented foods, and resistant starches
Incorporating bioavailable butyrate into your diet may enhance the effects of the vegetables, fermented foods, and resistant starches you consume. The goal is to increase your daily intake of fiber. A high fiber diet is the foundation of a healthy gut. Vegetables are a source of undigested fiber that ferments in the colon to produce butyrate. Fermented foods such as kimchi, kombucha, or sourdough bread also boost butyrate-producing bacteria. Resistant starches, such as those found in peas and potatoes, help ferment in the colon to produce butyrate that help us poop better and reduce any bad pathogens from entering our blood stream. By consuming these foods along with a bioavailable butyrate supplement, it’s possible to maximize the production of butyrate in your colon and your overall health.
Here’s a video about gut diversity. Understanding how we get formulators and brands to create products to optimize butyrate levels is just as crucial as eating vegetables.
The superiority of patented tributyrin (as CoreBiome®)
When it comes to supplementation, not all forms of butyrate are equal. Sodium butyrate, for example, smells terrible and is not bioavailable in the colon. Patented tributyrin (as CoreBiome®), on the other hand, is a unique form of butyrate that is both bioavailable and odorless. It nourishes the whole gut – from small intestine all the way to the colon. This bioavailable form of butyrate ensures that you reap the full benefits of butyrate supplementation, making it the ideal choice for promoting optimal gut health and overall well-being.
Summary
To sum it all up, bioavailable butyrate may be one of the closest things to a “fountain of youth”. It tackles bloating that may occur from occasional constipation , may help you poop better (something our gut absolutely needs), addresses leaky gut (something our gut absolutely does not need), may help clear up the skin (hello, beautiful skin!), supports mood and cognition, and may help overall weight management. We finally get access to superior supplementation with patented tributryin called CoreBiome®. Learn more about this amazing ingredient by visiting the links below.
Complete Guide to Short-Chain Fatty-Acids
CoreBiome® the Source of Wellness
Butyrate Postbiotics: Where can I find them?
Gut health definitions: You should know these terms
