How to Rev Up Your Gut’s Butyrate Factory
Along with eating more fiber, you can also get more brain-boosting butyrate flowing through your digestive tract by moving around more. You can find the proof in a series of studies at the University of Illinois which demonstrate that exercising alters the population of the probiotic bacteria in your digestive tract and favors the little friendly bugs that produce butyrate. The researchers also say exercise can help in this effort even if your attempts at eating more fiber fall short of what you need. "These are the first studies to show that exercise can have an effect on your gut independent of diet or other factors," says researcher Jeffrey Woods. In one of their investigations, the researchers took 32 people who rarely exercised, made up of 14 who were obese and 18 who were not overweight, and examined samples of their gut bacteria before putting them on an exercise program. These people performed 30 to 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise such as jogging, walking, swimming, etc., three times a week for six weeks. Each one of these folks watched their butyrate levels climb. And then, for another six weeks, they didn’t exercise at all. That’s when participants saw the butyrate levels in their bodies decline. Also, it’s important to note that everyone in the study was told to keep eating their usual diet. The scientists found that people who were not overweight had greater gains in butyrate than those who were obese. But, still, everybody in the study enjoyed increases.3Get Good Vibrations
If you want a fairly easy-to-do exercise you can perform without leaving your house but that’s enough to increase your butyrate, scientists at the Medical College of Georgia at the University of Augusta say you can try a whole-body vibrating platform. In these lab tests, the scientists found that whole-body vibration can multiply the population of a friendly digestive tract strain of bacteria called Alistipes by seventeen times! Alistipes is an enthusiastic producer of SCFAs including butyrate.4You can order one of these whole-body vibrating platform machines online from many different companies. And one more note about diet: If you’re looking to up the butyrate in your body with fiber, most high-fiber plants and vegetables will do, though some experts recommend legumes like beans and peanuts, as well as oats, rice and whole grains. Foods like sweet potatoes, asparagus, onions, bananas, Jerusalem artichoke and leeks are also good. Dairy foods contain some butyrate as well, with butter having the highest levels.Meet
The Expert:
The Expert:
Susan Clark is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated journalist and author who has written about nutrition, health, and wellness for 27 years. She has developed content for articles, reports, books, videos, and television news segments featuring some of today’s top alternative and integrative doctors. She earned a bachelor of science in broadcast journalism from Texas Christian University. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two sons, and numerous pets.
