All articles tagged with #short chain fatty acids
A new review finds that dietary fiber may affect organs beyond the gut—supporting heart health, liver fat processing, and kidney function—and possibly influencing mood and sleep through gut microbes that produce short-chain fatty acids, though much evidence is observational and fiber intake in most people remains below recommended levels.
SCFAs (acetate, propionate, butyrate) are produced by gut microbes from non-digestible carbohydrates and serve as both energy substrates and signaling molecules. They influence metabolism, immune function, and tissue homeostasis across organs via receptor-mediated signaling and epigenetic mechanisms. Production is shaped by microbiome composition, cross-feeding, and dietary fiber, and the review synthesizes how SCFAs impact health and disease and how diet or therapies might target SCFA pathways for metabolic health.
A new DAMM model that accounts for gut bacteria in energy absorption outperforms the century-old Atwater factors, achieving 96% accuracy versus 88% in a small crossover trial (17 healthy adults on Western and high-fiber diets). The study suggests Atwater underestimates energy intake on Western diets because it misses microbial fatty acid production, and raises the possibility that methane-producing microbes hidden in gut biofilms skew stool-based tests. While promising for explaining individual diet differences, DAMM requires further validation for weight loss/gain and broader populations. Published in PLOS ONE (May 27, 2026) with NIH funding.
A study links gut microbiome changes in Parkinson's disease to lower levels of riboflavin (B2) and biotin (B7), reduced short-chain fatty acids, and thinning of the intestinal mucus, suggesting that oral riboflavin and biotin supplementation could be a simple therapeutic approach; findings come from analyses of patients and controls across several countries, indicating a gut–brain pathway but the treatment would likely require personalized assessment.
A large GWAS of harmonized gut metagenomic data from 16,017 Swedish adults with replication in 12,652 Norwegians identifies host genetic variants linked to microbiome richness and 149 species; the strongest signal at OR51E1–OR51E2 suggests enteroendocrine fatty acid sensing shapes microbial communities, with additional loci near mucin genes and bile-acid pathways. Mendelian randomization links some taxa to LDL cholesterol and BMI-related traits, underscoring gastrointestinal physiology as a key driver of microbiome variation. Limitations include European-ancestry focus and challenges in pinpointing causal genes.
Protecting and improving your gut microbiome, a diverse community of bacteria, fungi, and viruses in the gut, is crucial for digestive health, vitamin synthesis, and maintaining the intestinal barrier, with benefits extending beyond digestion.
A new study suggests that the gut microbiome may have played a crucial role in the evolution of larger brains in primates, including humans. Researchers found that gut microbes from larger-brained primates, such as humans and squirrel monkeys, helped convert food into energy for the brain more efficiently than those from smaller-brained primates. This process may have driven hosts to consume more food, channeling excess energy to the brain. However, the study, conducted on mice, requires further research to confirm these findings and understand the exact mechanisms involved.
Postbiotics are the metabolites generated after the digestion of prebiotics and fiber-rich compounds by probiotics and our gut's resident microbiota. They can provide similar benefits to probiotics and prebiotics without any side effects. Postbiotics can shift our gut microbiome towards a healthy composition, stimulate our immune system, and lower the risk of colon cancer. Consuming probiotic-containing foods like yogurt and sauerkraut and prebiotic-rich plant foods can help harness the benefits of postbiotics.
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich have found that gut bacteria play a crucial role in the liver's regenerative capacity. Short-chain fatty acids produced by gut bacteria are essential for liver cell growth and division. Antibiotics disrupt the microbiome and delay liver regeneration. The study suggests that physicians could examine patients' gut bacteria to determine whether conditions are favorable for surgery or whether it is better to wait for the microbiome to recover.