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Review
. 2017 Dec 12;9(12):1348.
doi: 10.3390/nu9121348.

Short Chain Fatty Acids in the Colon and Peripheral Tissues: A Focus on Butyrate, Colon Cancer, Obesity and Insulin Resistance

Sean M McNabney  1 , Tara M Henagan  2
Affiliations
Review

Short Chain Fatty Acids in the Colon and Peripheral Tissues: A Focus on Butyrate, Colon Cancer, Obesity and Insulin Resistance

Sean M McNabney et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Increased dietary fiber consumption has been associated with many beneficial effects, including amelioration of obesity and insulin resistance. These effects may be due to the increased production of short chain fatty acids, including propionate, acetate and butyrate, during fermentation of the dietary fiber in the colon. Indeed, oral and dietary supplementation of butyrate alone has been shown to prevent high fat-diet induced obesity and insulin resistance. This review focuses on sources of short chain fatty acids, with emphasis on sources of butyrate, mechanisms of fiber and butyrate metabolism in the gut and its protective effects on colon cancer and the peripheral effects of butyrate supplementation in peripheral tissues in the prevention and reversal of obesity and insulin resistance.

Keywords: butyrate; obesity; short chain fatty acids; type 2 diabetes.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of principle effects of butyrate and its potential mechanisms of action in the colon and peripheral tissues; liver, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of butyrate on skeletal muscle physiology.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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