14. Gene Activity
Butyrate influences genetic signaling and DNA expression and repair. Butyrate’s activity on cancerous cells, for example, has been shown to differentiate abnormal from healthy cells and stimulate expression of DNA repair proteins that inhibit abnormal cell growth. (50, 51)
15. Gut Health
Low pH in the lower digestive system is conducive to bacterial growth. Used primarily by the colon, butyrate (which is a fat) provides energy to colon cells. It is able to move through cell membranes, stimulate sodium and water absorption, and deliver nutrition. Butyrate supports the strength of intestinal cell walls, a healthy gut mucosa lining, increased blood flow, and facilitates the elimination of waste. (52)
It is known that a fiber-rich diet is important for digestive health and SCFA (short chain fatty acids) is why. Humans lack the enzymes to digest fiber and that’s what the bacteria that produce butyrate live on. By breaking down digestive fiber, they regulate redox (oxidation) in the intestine. (53) Lack of adequate SCFA can contribute to colorectal cancer, diarrhea, and inflammatory bowel disease.(54,55,56)
Studies show that butyrate can improve symptoms in 53% patients with Chron’s disease and, when administered as an edema, reduce symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis by 13% (57,58).
16. Liver Support
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is completely preventable, as it is caused by diet and lifestyle. Regularly eating too much sugar (in its various forms) and refined flour are major factors in creating this condition. Its results can be life-threatening, such as liver dysfunction, cancer, diabetes, and heart attack. Fortunately, fatty liver can be reversed if the causes are removed so that your liver—supremely regenerative in its nature—will heal itself.
Other significant factors that contribute to a fatty liver are impaired intestinal barrier function (you see where we’re going here) and insulin resistance. Research published in 2015 had this to say about butyrate and fatty liver disease:
“After 6 weeks [of being fed a typical Western diet], markers of liver damage, inflammation, toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 signaling, lipid peroxidation and glucose, as well as lipid metabolism, were determined in the liver tissue”, as well as a build-up of proteins in intestinal walls. (59)
That didn’t take long.
At this juncture in the study, the mice with liver damage were given an oral butyrate supplement, which then significantly reduced liver inflammation. (60)
17. Mitochondrial Support
Mitochondria are microscopic components of cells that convert nutrients and oxygen into energy. They make life possible in all organisms larger than a microbe. Exposure to radiation, either from nuclear energy production or cancer therapy, can often damage or kill mitochondria. Butyrate, thanks to its antioxidant and epigenetic actions, protect mitochondria from radiation damage. (61)
18. Mood
The food we eat is responsible, at least in part, for the brain’s secretion of mood-regulating hormones serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA, a butyrate relative). GABA is a neurotransmitter that counteracts the effects of glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter, thereby quelling feelings of anxiety. Additionally, butyrate turns on the genes responsible for the regulation of the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase, which has a role in the control of stress hormones and brain opioid production, influencing neuronal plasticity, stress, and cardiovascular functions. (62, 63)