The Magic of Butyric Acid and How Can You Use it to Improve Your Health and Weight Loss!

Who would think that a dollop of the much-maligned butter or the golden elixir called clarified butter can help you lose weight and stay healthy? We know you may be rolling your eyes at us, probably at this moment as you are reading this. But Science has been delving deep to find out some secrets about it and looks like we have got a winner on our hands.

And the winner is Butyric acid! It has some powerful anti-inflammatory effects on the body and it can actually help assimilate proteins and reduce inflammation. It can also impact the inflammatory immune response as it regulates the inflammation-producing T-cells. It is interesting to note that butyric acid has the potential to treat various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease and type 1 diabetes and can literally help in treating the diseases with a great deal of success. However, there are countless other benefits of butyric acid and let’s explore more of this here.

Weight Loss Benefits

Butyric acid is actually really effective in enabling weight loss. While there have been many studies on animals and we need to carry more of this on humans, but whatever little we know of it, the results are promising. Short-chain fatty acids like butyrate have a steady impact on the metabolic effects, thus help improve insulin sensitivity and bring about a greater glucose balance.

Other studies said that butyric acid has the power to regulate weight by stimulating hormones in the gut and may increase leptin synthesis, the hormone that regulates appetite. A study showed that obese mice lost at least 10.2 percent of their body weight after being treated with butyric acid. It is effective against obesity is because butyric acid can break down the fat for energy and that improves insulin sensitivity in mice.

Improves Gut Health

Our colon cells love butyric acid and hence the butyric acid has a positive effect on the health of our gut. Studies have shown butyrate supplementation can help improve the symptoms of ulcerative colitic and Chron’s disease.

Studies have shown butyrate supplementation improves symptoms of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease and proves to be an effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome, as butyric acid has the potency to reduce inflammation, the root cause of most diseases.

Improves Insulin Sensitivity

Insulin is often the most important hormone that not only calls the shots when it comes to treating diabetes but it can also impact weight loss, butyric acid may be the key player in your arsenal to amp up your fight against insulin resistance.

Studies carried out on mice showed regular butyrate supplementation can not only improve glucose balance, but also improve insulin sensitivity, and mitochondrial function. It is said that people with an imbalance of gut bacteria have a greater incidence of suffering from type 2 diabetes and vice versa, so regular supplementation of butyrate may help you fight these lifestyle diseases.

Dietary Supplementation of Butyrate

You don’t have to look far to get your daily dose of butyrate, the easily available boiled and cooled sweet potatoes will do just fine. There are others who will be looking for fancy butyric acid supplements from your local health food store. However, why should you opt for supplements? When you can find good sources of the same in your pantry.

Foods that are rich sources of butyrate and may help produce butyrate in the gut are raw (unpasteurized) grass-fed butter and ghee, kombucha, organic butter, or ghee from grass-fed cows. Always get butter from unpasteurized versions, since they’ll do your gut a world of good. Check your local farms and markets to find exactly what you are looking for, or find it online.

Also, if you are trying to make your body produce more butyric acid on its own, try and have foods that are high on resistant starch, such as green (underripe) bananas, dandelion greens, Jerusalem artichokes, cooked then refrigerated sweet potatoes for 12 hours to get the most of the butyrate acid and raw jicama. So, if you are trying to avoid dairy because you are lactose intolerant, then these will serve you just fine.

Ensure you do not overdo your resistant starch right at the onset, have small amounts to find out whether your body is able to tolerate a little amount of resistant starch, and then gradually increase the amount!