Energy balance
Gut microbiota fermentation of unabsorbed starch and soluble dietary fiber into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) provides approximately 10% of daily dietary energy for the host and serves as the primary fuel source for colonocytes, thereby regulating energy homeostasis and metabolic efficiency.
To support your gut's energy regulation, prioritize foods rich in unabsorbed starch and soluble fiber (like resistant starch, oats, legumes). Your gut bacteria ferment these into SCFAs, which provide about 10% of your daily energy needs and fuel your colon cells. This is a natural metabolic process that supports overall energy homeostasis.
Gut microbiota is important in fermenting unabsorbed starch and soluble dietary fiber. The fermented end products exist in the form of a SCFAs. SCFA (such as butyrate, propionate, acetate and pentanoate) act as one of the energy substrates for the host (Salminen et al., 1998) thereby contributing an extra 10% daily dietary energy for utilization by the host for other metabolic processes (Payne et al., 2012).
Why this rating
Supported by multiple citations (Backhed, Salminen, Payne, Donohoe) and validated in germ-free mouse models, though it is a review paper summarizing these findings.
Source
The Human Gut Microbiome – A Potential Controller of Wellness and Disease
Zhi Y. Kho et al. · Frontiers in Microbiology · 2018
DOI 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01835
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