Deep inside your large intestine (at the bottom) is a community teeming with trillions of bacteria called your gut microbiome. Your gut microbiome contributes to many different areas of health, and it is important to understand what roles your gut bacteria play and how they produce important substances for your health. One of your gut bacteria’s ‘superpower’ substances is butyrate – a short chain fatty acid (SCFA).

What is butyrate?

Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) produced by some types of gut bacteria when they break down or digest fibre.  Fibre is found in plant-based foods and is largely indigestible, meaning humans do not have the enzymes to digest and absorb fibre, thus it passes through to the colon or large bowel.  In your colon, the fibre is fermented by your gut bacteria to produce SCFAs.

The key to a gut-friendly diet is eating foods known as prebiotics. Prebiotics include types of dietary fibre that act as a fuel source for health-promoting gut bacteria that produce beneficial substances like SCFAs.  Besides butyrate, other SCFAs produced in the gut include acetate and propionate, and while all SCFAs have scientifically proven health benefits¹, butyrate is the most well-researched.

Why is butyrate so important?

Butyrate supports your gut health and may also provide protection against some inflammation-based diseases.  The “superpower” qualities of butyrate include:

• Maintaining our gut barrier by feeding our gut cells²
• Suppressing inflammation in the gut^3,4
• Boosting the immune system’s defence against disease-causing bacteria⁵
• Reducing appetite⁶ which can help maintain a healthy body weight
• Maintaining blood sugar (glucose) levels⁷ which can help reduce diabetes risk.

Not surprisingly, reduced butyrate levels (and/or reduced bacterial ability to degrade fibre) has been associated with inflammatory bowel disease^8-11, colon cancer^12,13 and insulin resistance^14-16.

What contributes to low butyrate levels?

Low microbial diversity can result in a reduced potential to produce butyrate.  A less diverse microbiome may lack the bacteria capable of producing adequate butyrate levels. Diversity can be improved by eating a varied intake of prebiotic fibre sources which can then fuel a diverse number of butyrate-producing bacteria. Specific types of prebiotic fibres known as resistant starch and pectin have demonstrated the ability to increase butyrate levels^17,18. Insufficient butyrate production by the gut microbiome could contribute to gastrointestinal, immune or metabolic issues as stated above.

What can you do to increase butyrate?

The best way to supercharge your gut microbiome to produce butyrate is to eat a high-fibre diet, that includes sufficient sources of resistant starch and pectin. This means eating a diet rich in plant-based foods such as wholegrains, vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds and legumes. You can also increase the resistant starch content of foods such as potato, pasta and rice by cooking and then cooling them overnight for use in salads.

Below is a meal plan bursting with prebiotics that can boost your butyrate-producing potential. Resistant starch sources are in green and pectin sources are in blue.

Breakfast: Rolled oats with berries – cooked or raw, make room for rolled oats at brekky. Raw oats can be topped with a low-fat smoothie made with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries or added fresh to your porridge.

Lunch: Mediterranean pasta salad – bring your plate alive with colour. Toss together some cooked and cooled pasta leftovers with roasted sweet potato, zucchini, eggplant and cherry tomatoes in a few teaspoons of pesto.

Dinner: Lentil and mince cottage pie – try replacing half the beef mince in your traditional cottage pie with lentils and adding vegetables like onion, carrot, peas and corn as well as the usual canned tomato/passata and herbs. Top with mashed potato and bake. Serve with steamed green beans, cauliflower, and broccoli for an additional prebiotic punch!

Hint: boil additional potatoes to keep in the fridge for potato salads (skin on), also do this with pasta when making your spaghetti bolognese!

Snacks: don’t forget your snacks to boost prebiotic intake between meals and help increase butyrate production. Go for hummus and carrot sticks, or try pectin containing fruit such as a kiwi or orange.

About the Author

Leanne Mitchell

Leanne is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and works as one of the microbiome coaches at Microba. Leanne has a developing interest in the clinical application of the gut-brain axis in gastrointestinal disorders, mental health and neuro-developmental conditions.