At Mercola.com, Dr. Joseph Mercola explains the benefits of feeding your gut biome with fiber to induce the production of butyrate, which he describes as “a short-chain fatty acid produced by gut bacteria when they ferment fiber, serving as the primary energy source for colon cells and maintaining gut barrier strength.” He continues:

You may be familiar with gut health, but you might not realize how important a single compound called butyrate is for your overall well-being. In the video above, Dawn Boxell, a registered dietitian with Gastric Health, expands on butyrate, a type of short-chain fatty acid produced by certain beneficial bacteria in your gut whenever you eat specific types of fiber.1

When you feed these helpful bacteria, they ferment the fiber and release butyrate, which influences many parts of your body, including your digestive system and brain. Butyrate helps nourish your colon cells, which rely on butyrate as a main energy source.

When these cells get the fuel they need, your gut lining stays strong, lowering the chances of substances such as undigested food, bacteria and metabolic wastes sneaking through into your bloodstream and causing systemic inflammation.

Butyrate’s protective effects are linked to multiple health benefits, including more stable digestion and better immune response. Despite its benefits, however, butyrate doesn’t usually make the headlines when people talk about digestion or healthy diets. You often hear about proteins, carbohydrates and fats, but rarely about the byproducts that form when you digest nutrient-rich fiber.

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