Energy balance
Gut microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), specifically acetate, propionate, and butyrate, regulate host energy homeostasis and metabolic health by acting as signaling molecules on G-protein-coupled receptors (GPR41/43) and influencing hormone secretion (GLP-1, PYY).
To support metabolic health, prioritize diets rich in whole plant fibers. This feeds gut bacteria to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate and acetate. These SCFAs signal your body to regulate appetite and insulin sensitivity via specific receptors, helping to prevent metabolic syndrome and obesity.
SCFAs produced by intestinal bacteria are acetate (2 carbon atoms), propionate (3 carbon atoms), and butyrate (4 carbon atoms)... The G-protein-coupled receptors (GPRs), GPR41 and GPR43, also named free fatty acid receptors 2 and 3 (FFARs 2/3) present in many tissues... act as major receptors of SCFAs... SCFAs can induce the secretion of glucagon-like peptides (GLP-1 and GLP-2) and peptide YY (PYY).
Why this rating
The paper is a review citing multiple studies (references 14, 15, 80) establishing the mechanism, though it does not present new primary clinical trial data.
Source
Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis and Immunometabolism: New Frontiers for Treatment of Metabolic Diseases
José Ernesto Belizário et al. · Mediators of Inflammation · 2018
DOI 10.1155/2018/2037838
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- Macrophage polarization towards the M1 pro-inflammatory phenotype is driven by glycolysis and the accumulation of TCA cycle intermediates (succinate, itaconate), which promotes the production of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β) and contributes to metabolic disease.Good
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