Research

Hormonal

Oral butyrate supplementation prevents high-fat-diet-induced obesity and reverses established insulin resistance in murine models by reducing adiposity and improving insulin sensitivity.

While human trials are less extensive than animal studies, increasing butyrate production through resistant starches (like cooled potatoes or legumes) or direct supplementation may help manage body weight and insulin sensitivity, especially when combined with a diet high in fat. Consult a doctor before starting supplementation.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Indeed, oral and dietary supplementation of butyrate alone has been shown to prevent high fat-diet induced obesity and insulin resistance.
Sean M. McNabney et al. · Nutrients · 2017

Why this rating

Based on multiple murine studies cited, but human clinical data is limited in this review.

Source

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 · 2017

DOI 10.3390/nu9121348

narrative_reviewCited 508×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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