narouz said:It turns out, butyrate has been around in the mammalian gut for so long that the lining of our large intestine has evolved to use it as its primary source of energy. It does more than just feed the bowel, however. It also has potent anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. So much so, that investigators are using oral butyrate supplements and butyrate enemas to treat inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. Some investigators are also suggesting that inflammatory bowel disorders may be caused or exacerbated by a deficiency of butyrate in the first place.
Butyrate, and other short-chain fatty acids produced by gut bacteria**, has a remarkable effect on intestinal permeability. In tissue culture and live rats, short-chain fatty acids cause a large and rapid decrease in intestinal permeability. Butyrate, or dietary fiber, prevents the loss of intestinal permeability in rat models of ulcerative colitis. This shows that short-chain fatty acids, including butyrate, play an important role in the maintenance of gut barrier integrity. Impaired gut barrier integrity is associated with many diseases, including fatty liver, heart failure and autoimmune diseases (thanks to Pedro Bastos for this information-- I'll be covering the topic in more detail later).
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2 ... er-of.html
Has anyone developed their own opinion about the possible necessity of butyrate to the gut?
I thought the above quote was really interesting because many other people on this forum are searching for serotonin reducing substances. I am keenly interested in serotonin reducing things as well and am personally testing many of these substances, but this doesn't seem like it is the complete answer.
It seems most logical that our gut issues (like many other nutrition problems) would stem from a deficiency or multiple deficiencies. If anyone has any insights or experiences, please share.