Butyrate Research
54 peer-reviewed studies · Evidence score: 8.5/10
Circulating Short-Chain Fatty Acid Levels in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Thakur D et al. • Nutrients (2026)
CKD is associated with a profound systemic reduction in acetate and propionate, supporting the model of a compromised gut-kidney axis based on converging evidence.
- Quantitative synthesis revealed a significant and consistent systemic depletion of circulating acetate and propionate in adult CKD patients compared to healthy controls (p < 0.05).
- CKD is associated with a profound systemic reduction in acetate and propionate, supporting the model of a compromised gut-kidney axis based on converging evidence.
- The divergent results for butyrate in paediatric versus adult populations suggest that SCFA metabolism is influenced by age-related factors or compensatory mechanisms.
Gut microbiota composition in depressive disorder: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression
Gao M et al. • Translational psychiatry (2023)
This meta-analysis examined the effects of Butyrate.
- A random-effects model with restricted maximum-likelihood estimator was used to synthesize the effect size (assessed by standardized mean difference [SMD]) across studies.
- In subgroup analyses with regional variations(east/west) as a predictor, patients who were in the West had a lower Chao1 level (SMD -0.42[-0.74 to -0.10]).
- Subgroup meta-analysis showed Firmicutes level was decreased in patients with depressive disorder who were medication-free (SMD -1.54[-2.36 to -0.72]), but Bacteroidetes level was increased (SMD -0.90[0.07 to 1.72]).
Perturbations in Gut Microbiota Composition in Psychiatric Disorders: A Review and Meta-analysis
Nikolova VL et al. • JAMA psychiatry (2021)
This systematic review and meta-analysis found that gut microbiota perturbations were associated with a transdiagnostic pattern with a depletion of certain anti-inflammatory butyrate-producing bacteria and an enrichment of pro-inflammatory bacteria in patients with depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety.
- There was a small decrease in phylogenetic diversity (SMD = -0.24; 95% CI, -0.47 to -0.001) and no significant differences in Shannon and Simpson indices.
- Published in JAMA psychiatry (2021)
- Further research warranted to confirm findings
Pharmacotherapies for Adults With Alcohol Use Disorders: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis
Bahji A et al. • Journal of addiction medicine (2022)
The current meta-analyses provide evidence that several medications for AUDs are effective and safe and encourage the expanded use of these medications in the clinical setting.
- Nefazodone (RR = 2.11; 95% CI, 1.42-3.13), aripiprazole (RR = 1.97; 95% CI, 1.36-2.88), carbamazepine (RR = 1.85; 95% CI, 1.03-3.32), and nalmefene (RR = 1.17; 95% CI, 1.01-1.35) were associated with the most dropouts.
- Baclofen (RR = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.70-0.97) and pregabalin (RR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.43-0.94) caused fewer dropouts than placebo.
- Nalmefene (RR = 3.26; 95% CI, 2.34-4.55), fluvoxamine (RR = 3.08; 95% CI, 1.59-5.94), and topiramate (RR=2.18; 95% CI, 1.36-3.51) caused more dropouts from adverse events over placebo.
Gut dysbiosis in rheumatic diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 92 observational studies
Wang Y et al. • EBioMedicine (2022)
Gut microbiota dysbiosis was associated with rheumatic diseases, principally with potentially non-specific, shared alterations of microbes.
- Gut microbiota dysbiosis was associated with rheumatic diseases, principally with potentially non-specific, shared alterations of microbes.
- Published in EBioMedicine (2022)
- Further research warranted to confirm findings
A systematic review of gut microbiota composition in observational studies of major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
McGuinness AJ et al. • Molecular psychiatry (2022)
This systematic-review examined the effects of Butyrate.
- We also observed substantial heterogeneity across studies with regards to methodologies and reporting.
- Further prospective and experimental research using new tools and robust guidelines hold promise for improving our understanding of the role of the gut microbiota in mental and brain health and the development of interventions based on modification of gut microbiota.© 2022.
- Further research warranted to confirm findings
Dietary fiber intervention on gut microbiota composition in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
So D et al. • The American journal of clinical nutrition (2018)
Dietary fiber intervention, particularly involving fructans and galacto-oligosaccharides, leads to higher fecal abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus spp. but does not affect α-diversity.
- Dietary fiber intervention, particularly involving fructans and galacto-oligosaccharides, leads to higher fecal abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus spp. but does not affect α-diversity.
- Further research is required to better understand the role of individual fiber types on the growth of microbes and the overall gut microbial community.
- This review was registered at PROSPERO as CRD42016053101.
The effect of antibiotics on the composition of the intestinal microbiota - a systematic review
Zimmermann P et al. • The Journal of infection (2019)
Antibiotics have profound and sometimes persisting effects on the intestinal microbiota, characterised by diminished abundance of beneficial commensals and increased abundance of potentially detrimental microorganisms.
- Antibiotics have profound and sometimes persisting effects on the intestinal microbiota, characterised by diminished abundance of beneficial commensals and increased abundance of potentially detrimental microorganisms.
- Understanding these effects will help tailor antibiotic treatment and the use of probiotics to minimise this 'collateral damage'.
- Further research warranted to confirm findings
Gut microbiota and metabolites as predictors of biologics response in inflammatory bowel disease: A comprehensive systematic review
Wang C et al. • Microbiological research (2024)
All rights reserved.
- IBD patients who responded well to vedolizumab treatment had higher levels of specific bacteria that produce butyrate, along with increased levels of metabolites such as butyrate, branched-chain amino acids and acetamide following vedolizumab treatment.
- Crohn's disease patients who responded positively to ustekinumab treatment showed higher levels of Faecalibacterium and lower levels of Escherichia/Shigella.
- All rights reserved.
Systematic review of the association between short-chain fatty acids and allergic diseases
Sasaki M et al. • Allergy (2024)
Allergy published by European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- Overall, there was some evidence showing that the three main SCFAs (acetate, propionate and butyrate) in the first few years of life had a protective effect against allergic diseases, especially for atopic dermatitis, wheeze or asthma and IgE-mediated food allergy in childhood.
- The association between each SCFA and allergic disease appeared to be different by disease and the age of assessment.
- Allergy published by European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Meta-analysis identifying gut microbial biomarkers of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau populations and the functionality of microbiota-derived butyrate in high-altitude adaptation
Zhao H et al. • Gut microbes (2024)
Our research found universally applicable biomarkers and investigated their potential roles in promoting human health at high altitudes.
- Functional analysis and qPCR revealed that butyrate may be a functional metabolite in high-altitude adaptation.
- A high-altitude rat model showed that butyrate reduced intestinal damage caused by high altitudes.
- According to cell experiments, butyrate may downregulate hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) expression and blunt cellular responses to hypoxic stress.
Changes in Gut Microbiota and Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review
Ordoñez-Rodriguez A et al. • International journal of environmental research and public health (2023)
Gut microbiota dysbiosis was found in multiple sclerosis patients compared to controls.
- Gut microbiota dysbiosis was found in multiple sclerosis patients compared to controls.
- Most of the altered bacteria are short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing, which could explain the chronic inflammation that characterises this disease.
- Therefore, future studies should consider the characterisation and manipulation of the multiple sclerosis-associated microbiome as a focus of both diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Nutritional Interventions to Improve Cachexia Outcomes in Cancer-A Systematic Review
Braha A et al. • Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) (2022)
According to the GRADE methodology, no positive recommendation for these nutritional supplements may be expressed.
- Background and Objectives: The prevalence of cachexia has increased across all of the cancer types and accounts for up to 20% of cancer-related deaths.
- Conclusions: Although clinical trials relating to large numbers of nutritional supplements present promising data, many trials provided negative results.
- Further studies investigating the underlying mechanisms of action of these nutritional supplements in cancer cachexia are needed.
Elucidation of Prebiotics, Probiotics, Postbiotics, and Target from Gut Microbiota to Alleviate Obesity via Network Pharmacology Study
Oh KK et al. • Cells (2022)
In this study, we demonstrated that the promising substate (prebiotics), microbe (probiotics), metabolite (postbiotics), and target are suitable for obsesity treatment, providing a microbiome basis for further research.
- Then, we implemented protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks with 342 overlapping target, another subnetwork was constructed with the top 30% degree centrality (DC), and the final core networks were obtained after screening the top 30% betweenness centrality (BC).
- The final core targets were IL6, AKT1, and ALB.
- We showed that the three core targets interacted with three other components via the MSMT network in alleviating obesity, i.e., four microbiota, two substrates, and six metabolites.
Meta-Analysis of Altered Gut Microbiota Reveals Microbial and Metabolic Biomarkers for Colorectal Cancer
Avuthu N et al. • Microbiology spectrum (2022)
In addition, we revealed significant microbe-metabolite associations through correlation analysis and microbial gene families associated with dysregulated metabolic pathways in CRC, which are essential in understanding the vastly sporadic nature of CRC development and progression.
- Geographic dataset-specific markers were identified and evaluated using area under the ROC curve (AUC) scores and random effect size.
- In this study, we performed a meta-analysis of CRC microbiota data from diverse geographical regions using multiple methods to achieve reproducible results.
- We used a computational approach to predict the metabolomic profiles using existing CRC metagenomic datasets.
The Gut Microbiome, Aging, and Longevity: A Systematic Review
Badal VD et al. • Nutrients (2020)
Although a definitive interpretation is limited by the cross-sectional design of published reports, we integrated findings of microbial composition and downstream functional pathways and metabolites, offering possible explanations regarding age-related processes.
- Beta diversity distances significantly differed across various developmental stages and were different even between oldest-old and younger-old adults.
- Differences in taxonomic composition and functional potential varied across studies, but Akkermansia was most consistently reported to be relatively more abundant with aging, whereas Faecalibacterium, Bacteroidaceae, and Lachnospiraceae were relatively reduced.
- Although a definitive interpretation is limited by the cross-sectional design of published reports, we integrated findings of microbial composition and downstream functional pathways and metabolites, offering possible explanations regarding age-related processes.
Travel-Induced Circadian and Microbiota Disturbances: Implications for Athlete Health and Performance: A Narrative Review
Biliński K et al. • Nutrients (2026)
Integrating these personalised, evidence-informed protocols may support the optimisation of physiological resilience and performance.
- These SCFAs serve as energy substrates that may enhance glucose uptake, lipid oxidation, and glycogen storage in skeletal muscle.
- Evidence suggests that travel-related stressors-including dehydration, psychological stress, and shifts toward highly processed diets-further exacerbate the loss of beneficial taxa.
- To mitigate these effects, this article proposes evidence-informed strategies: timed light exposure to reset the master clock, chronobiotic meal timing to entrain peripheral tissues, and targeted symbiotic supplementation to restore SCFA-producing populations.
Impact of non-digestible carbohydrates and prebiotics on immunity, infections, inflammation and vaccine responses: a systematic review of evidence in healthy humans and a discussion of mechanistic proposals
Arioz Tunc H et al. • Critical reviews in food science and nutrition (2026)
Further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms involved and to optimize health applications.
- A systematic review of human studies showed that prebiotics, including GOS, FOS, and 2'-fucosyllactose (2FL), reduced infections and increased IgA in healthy infants, while yeast β-glucan reduced respiratory infection symptoms in healthy adults.
- Yeast β-glucan and GOS supplementation resulted in improvements in NK cell activity.
- Some effects on vaccine efficacy were noted in young adults, but the overall impact of NDCs and prebiotics on vaccination and systemic inflammation was inconsistent.
Use of Sodium Butyrate and Its Microencapsulated Forms in Intestinal Diseases-Current Clinical Approach
Caban M et al. • Digestive diseases and sciences (2026)
Differences between clinical study results suggests that formulation of butyrate impacts its efficacy.
- Therefore, we suggest that clinical results should be assessed in relation to specific preparations.
- Our summary confirms that specific microencapsulated versions, including those utilizing the MSB® technology are valuable therapeutic options supporting the treatment of intestinal diseases.
- Differences between clinical study results suggests that formulation of butyrate impacts its efficacy.
Improvements to postprandial glucose control in subjects with type 2 diabetes: a multicenter, double blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial of a novel probiotic formulation
Perraudeau F et al. • BMJ open diabetes research & care (2020)
To our knowledge, this is the first randomized controlled trial to administer four of the five strains to human subjects with T2D.
- To our knowledge, this is the first randomized controlled trial to administer four of the five strains to human subjects with T2D.
- This proof-of-concept study (clinical trial number NCT03893422) shows that the intervention was safe and well tolerated and that supplementation with WBF-011 improves postprandial glucose control.
- The limited sample size and intersubject variability justifies future studies designed to confirm and expand on these observations.