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How Short-Chain Fatty Acids Affect

Health and Weight
Written by Mary Jane Brown, PhD, RD (UK) — Medically reviewed by Kim Chin,
RD, Nutrition — Updated on October 11, 2021

Short-chain fatty acids are produced by the friendly bacteria in your gut.

In fact, they are the main source of nutrition for the cells in your colon.

Short-chain fatty acids may also play an important role in health and
disease.

They may reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases, type 2 diabetes,

obesity, heart disease, and other conditions (1 ! ).

This article explores how short-chain fatty acids affect health.

Westend61/Getty Images

What are short-chain fatty acids?

Short-chain fatty acids are fatty acids with fewer than 6 carbon atoms
(2 ! ).

They are produced when the friendly gut bacteria ferment fiber in your
colon and are the main source of energy for the cells lining your colon.

For this reason, they play an important role in colon health (1 ! ).

Excess short-chain fatty acids are used for other functions in the body. For
example, they may provide roughly 10% of your daily calorie needs (3 ! ).

Short-chain fatty acids are also involved in the metabolism of important

nutrients like carbs and fat (4 ! ).

About 95% of the short-chain fatty acids in your body are:

acetate (C2)

propionate (C3)

butyrate (C4)

Propionate is mainly involved in producing glucose in the liver and small

intestine, acetate is important for energy production and synthesis of
lipids, and butyrate is the preferred energy source for cells that line the
colon (5 ! , 6 ! ).

Many factors affect the amount of short-chain fatty acids in your colon,
including how many microorganisms are present, the food source, and
the time it takes food to travel through your digestive system (7 ! , 8 ! ).

SUMMARY

Short-chain fatty acids are produced when fiber is fermented in

the colon. They act as a source of energy for the cells lining the
colon.

Food sources of short-chain fatty acids

Eating a lot of fiber-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and legumes, is
linked to an increase in short-chain fatty acids (9 ! ).

One study involving 153 individuals found positive associations between a

higher intake of plant foods and increased levels of short-chain fatty acids
in stools (10 ! ).

However, the amount and type of fiber you eat affects the composition of
bacteria in your gut, which affects what short-chain fatty acids are
produced (11 ! ).

For example, studies have shown that eating more fiber increases
butyrate production, while decreasing your fiber intake reduces
production (12 ! ).

The following types of fiber are best for the production of short-chain fatty
acids in the colon (13 ! , 14 ! , 15 ! ):

Inulin. You can get inulin from artichokes, garlic, leeks, onions,
wheat, rye, and asparagus.

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS). FOS are found in various fruits and

vegetables, including bananas, onions, garlic, and asparagus.

Resistant starch. You can get resistant starch from grains, barley,
rice, beans, green bananas, legumes, and potatoes that have been
cooked and then cooled.

Pectin. Good sources of pectin include apples, apricots, carrots,

oranges, and others.

Arabinoxylan. Arabinoxylan is found in cereal grains. For example, it

is the most common fiber in wheat bran, making up about 70% of the
total fiber content.

Guar gum. Guar gum can be extracted from guar beans, which are
legumes.

Some types of cheese, butter, and cow’s milk also contain small amounts
of butyrate.

SUMMARY

High fiber foods, such as fruits, veggies, legumes, and whole

grains encourage the production of short-chain fatty acids.

Short-chain fatty acids and digestive disorders

Short-chain fatty acids may be protective against some digestive
disorders.

For example, butyrate has anti-inflammatory effects in the gut (16 ! ).

Diarrhea

Your gut bacteria convert resistant starch and pectin to short-chain fatty
acids. Eating them has been shown to reduce diarrhea in children (17 ! ).

Inflammatory bowel disease

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are the two main types of
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Both are characterized by chronic
bowel inflammation.

Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, butyrate has been used to

treat both of these conditions.

Studies in mice have shown that butyrate supplements reduce bowel

inflammation, and acetate supplements had similar benefits. Additionally,
lower levels of short-chain fatty acids were linked to worsened ulcerative
colitis (8 ! , 18 ! ).

Human studies also suggest that short-chain fatty acids, especially

butyrate, can improve symptoms of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease
(19 ! , 20 ! ).

A study involving 25 people with ulcerative colitis found that consuming

15 grams of oligofructose-enriched inulin daily for 9 weeks significantly
improved symptoms and increased the number of butyrate-producing
bacteria in the gut (21 ! ). Furthermore, improvements in inflammation
were associated with an increase in butyrate production.

In another in vitro study of the fecal microbial communities of 10 people

with Crohn’s disease, supplementing with butyrate-producing bacteria
significantly increased butyrate production and improved epithelial barrier
integrity (22 ! ).

For people with ulcerative colitis in remission, an enema of butyrate for 20

days induced minor effects on inflammation of the colon compared to
placebo (23 ! ).

Furthermore, production of short-chain fatty acids is associated with

reduced risk of inflammatory bowel disease (23 ! ).

SUMMARY

Short-chain fatty acids may reduce diarrhea and help treat

inflammatory bowel diseases.

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Short-chain fatty acids and colon cancer

Short-chain fatty acids may play a key role in the prevention and
treatment of certain cancers, mainly colon cancer (24 ! , 25 ! , 26 ! , 27 ! ).

Lab studies show that butyrate helps keep colon cells healthy, prevents
the growth of tumor cells, and encourages cancer cell destruction in the
colon (28 ! ).

While the mechanism behind this is not yet fully understood, it appears
short-chain fatty acids increase the expression of epithelial barrier-
forming molecules and influence the production of certain immune cells in
the colon (28 ! ).

Studies show a convincing association between high fiber diets and a

reduced risk of colon cancer. Many experts suggest the production of
short-chain fatty acids may be partly responsible for this (29 ! , 30 ! , 31 ! ,
32 ! , 33 ! ).

Some animal studies also report a positive link between high fiber diets
and a reduced risk of colon cancer (34 ! ).

In one study, mice on a high fiber diet, whose guts contained butyrate-
producing bacteria, got 75% fewer tumors than the mice who did not have
the bacteria (34 ! ).

Interestingly, the high fiber diet alone — without the bacteria to make
butyrate — did not have protective effects against colon cancer. A low
fiber diet — even with the butyrate-producing bacteria — was also
ineffective (34 ! ).

This suggests that the anti-cancer benefits only exist when a high fiber
diet is combined with the correct bacteria in the gut.

SUMMARY

Short-chain fatty acids have been shown to protect against colon

cancer in animal and lab studies. However, more research is
required.

Short-chain fatty acids and diabetes

A review of the evidence reported that butyrate can have positive effects
in both animals and humans with type 2 diabetes (35 ! ).

The same review also highlighted that there appears to be an imbalance

in gut microorganisms in people with diabetes (35 ! , 36 ! ).

Short-chain fatty acids may help control blood glucose levels and improve
insulin resistance in people with type 2 diabetes (37 ! , 38 ! ).

Short-chain fatty acids have been shown to increase enzyme activity in

the liver and muscle tissue, resulting in better blood sugar management
(39 ! ).

In one small study, adults with overweight and obesity who did not have
diabetes received 20 grams of inulin propionate ester daily for 42 days.
Their insulin resistance significantly improved, and markers of systemic
inflammation decreased compared to the control group (40 ! ).

Another study found that propionate may improve beta-cell function and
stimulate production of insulin (41 ! ).

Supplementation with butyrate has also been shown to improve insulin

sensitivity (25 ! ).

Other human studies have also reported associations between

fermentable fiber and improved blood sugar management and insulin
sensitivity (42 ! ).

SUMMARY

Short-chain fatty acids seem to help regulate blood sugar levels

and improve insulin resistance, especially in people with diabetes
or insulin resistance.

Short-chain fatty acids and weight loss

The composition of microorganisms in the gut can affect nutrient
absorption and energy regulation, thus influencing the development of
obesity (43 ! , 44 ! ).

Studies have shown that short-chain fatty acids also regulate fat
metabolism by increasing fat burning and decreasing fat storage (39 ! ,
45 ! , 46 ! ).

When this occurs, the quantity of free fatty acids in the blood is reduced,
and it may also help protect against weight gain (47 ! ).

Several animal studies have examined this effect. In one older study, after
a 5-week treatment with butyrate, obese mice lost 10.2% of their original
body weight, and body fat was reduced by 10%. In rats, acetate
supplements reduced fat storage (48 ! ).

However, the evidence linking short-chain fatty acids to weight loss is

based mainly on animal and test-tube studies.

SUMMARY

Animal and test-tube studies indicate that short-chain fatty acids

may help prevent and treat obesity. However, human studies are
needed.

Short-chain fatty acids and heart health

Many observational studies have linked high fiber diets to a reduced risk
of heart disease.

However, the strength of this association often depends on the fiber type
and source (49 ! ).

In humans, fiber intake has also been linked to reduced inflammation

(50 ! , 51 ! ).

One of the reasons fiber reduces heart disease risk may be due to the
production of short-chain fatty acids in the colon (52 ! ).

Studies in both animals and humans have reported that short-chain fatty
acids reduced cholesterol levels (53 ! , 54 ! , 55 ! ).

Short chain fatty acids lower the rate of cholesterol production, thereby
lowering blood cholesterol (53 ! ).

Butyrate is thought to interact with key genes that make cholesterol,

possibly reducing cholesterol production (53 ! ).

In one animal study, hamsters were fed a high cholesterol diet alone or
combined with one of four short-chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate,
butyrate, or valerate). The addition of acetate, propionate, and butyrate all
significantly decreased total cholesterol (55 ! ).

This same effect was seen in humans with obesity, as acetate in vinegar
decreased the amount of excess cholesterol in the bloodstream (56 ! ).

SUMMARY

Short-chain fatty acids may decrease the risk of heart disease by

reducing inflammation and blocking cholesterol production.

Should you take a supplement?

Short-chain fatty acid supplements are most commonly found as butyric
acid salts.

These are generally referred to as sodium, potassium, calcium, or

magnesium butyrate. They are available over the counter and can be
purchased online.

However, supplements may not be the best way to increase your levels of
short-chain fatty acids. Butyrate supplements are absorbed before they
reach the colon, usually in the small intestine, which means all the
benefits for colon cells will be lost.

Additionally, there is very little scientific evidence about the effectiveness

of short-chain fatty acid supplements.

Butyrate reaches the colon best when it’s fermented from fiber.
Therefore, increasing the amount of high fiber foods in your diet is a much
better way to improve your short-chain fatty acid levels. It is always best
practice to consult a healthcare professional before taking supplements.

SUMMARY

Eating high fiber foods is the best way to increase short-chain

fatty acid levels, as supplements are absorbed before reaching
the colon.

The bottom line

Due to their anti-inflammatory properties, short-chain fatty acids may have
a wide range of beneficial effects on your body.

One thing is for certain: Looking after your friendly gut bacteria can lead
to a whole host of health benefits.

The best way to feed the good bacteria in your gut is to eat plenty of
foods high in fermentable fiber.

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Last medically reviewed on October 11, 2021

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