ButyrEn

Alleviating Gastrointestinal Symptoms

Most of the scientific research on the benefits of butyric acid focuses primarily on the GI tract, where it seems to have the most significant effects. That makes sense since butyric acid comes mostly from food and from fermentation in the gut microbiome. Studies have shown that butyric acid can have positive impacts on patients with both functional and inflammatory bowel disorders.

Functional bowel disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), can be characterized by a wide range of symptoms, including constipation, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, among others. Although clinical studies are limited, several have shown that taking butyric acid can lead to statistically significant reductions in abdominal pain and improvements in the normalization of bowel movements in IBS patients. The exact mechanism underpinning these effects is not fully understood. However, the presence of butyric acid in the gut can inhibit the growth of “bad bacteria” that negatively affect function and can cause infection, which may explain reduction of symptoms.