Research

Hormonal

Gut microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), specifically propionate, improve insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis by stimulating intestinal gluconeogenesis via the GPR43 receptor and a gut-brain neural circuit.

Consuming prebiotic fibers that generate propionate (a type of SCFA) can help improve your body's ability to manage blood sugar. This happens through a communication pathway between your gut and brain. Focus on foods rich in resistant starches and inulin to support this natural glucose-regulating mechanism.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Specifically, they found that propionate acts on GPR43 in the periportal afferent neural system to induce intestinal gluconeogenesis via a gut-brain neural circuit and, eventually, has beneficial effects on host physiology [13].
Patrice D. Cani et al. · Molecular Metabolism · 2016

Why this rating

Based on rodent studies (De Vadder et al.) cited in a review; human translation is implied but not directly tested in this text.

Source

How gut microbes talk to organs: The role of endocrine and nervous routes

Patrice D. Cani et al. · Molecular Metabolism · 2016

DOI 10.1016/j.molmet.2016.05.011

narrative_reviewCited 322×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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