High fiber diets decrease risk of obesity, colon cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Can it help your brain too?
Butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) produced by bacterial fermentation of fiber in the colon, can improve brain health.
Butyrate is also present in butter, however gut bacteria can produce much higher levels of butryate than one can ingest by consuming butter.
2 facts to start with:
- 90% of cells in the human body are of bacterial origin.
- There are >15,000 species of bacteria in the human gut.
Eating a high fiber diet delivers more fiber to the colon. Fiber in the colon is broken down into butyrate by Clostridium, Eubacterium, and Butyrivibrio genera.
Foods that increase colonic butyrate production:
- Resistant starches – whole grains, beans, legumes, oats.
- Fructo oligosaccharides (pectin, inulin) – chicory, leeks, onions, jerusalem artichokes, bananas, asparagus, apples, peaches, apricots.
Mechanisms of action of butyrate:
- Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor – promotes the expression of prosurvival, proregenerative and proplasticity genes. Sodium butyrate (NaB) reduces neuronal cell death in animal models of Huntinton’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and stroke. NaB improves learning and memory in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Butyrate is the primary source of energy for colon cells (70%). It promotes a healthy colon lining. This in turn reduces systemic inflammation by preventing harmful bacteria and chemicals from getting into the bloodstream.
- Hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease is decreased glucose utilization by the brain. Butyrate could be used as an alternative fuel by the brain.
- Germ free mice have increased permeability of the blood brain barrier (BBB). Increasing butyrate levels in these mice normalized their BBB permeability.
Butyrate also helps gut health and reduces risk of colorectal cancer.