Butyrate is a small fatty acid. It is the main food for cells lining the colon. These cells use butyrate to make energy which allows them to remain healthy and do their jobs. One of these jobs is to provide a strong protective lining for the colon. Without butyrate colon cells slowly die. This leaves areas of colon without protection and the tissue and cells living underneath are directly exposed to faeces. Any areas of colon that don’t have their protective lining constitute the very ulcers after which ulcerative colitis is named.

Butyrate is normally made by bacteria that live in the colon. Indigestible fibre from the vegetables and grains we eat passes through the digestive, tract into the colon, where colonic bacteria work in teams, using the fibre to make butyrate.

Many UC sufferers have abnormally low levels of a small fatty acid called “butyrate” in their stool. (Kumari et al., 2013) Researchers asked whether butyrate production by colonic bacteria could be increased by feeding patients appropriate fibre-containing-foods.

In a 4-week open-label study (Mitsuyama et al., 1998), scientists gave patients suffering active UC, 30g/day of a high fibre-food supplement called “Germinated barley” (GB), a side product of beer production. Patients were kept on standard UC anti-inflammatory medications. The rationale behind the experiment was that:

1. fibre from germinated barley once in the colon could be efficiently utilised by Bifido- and Lactobacilli bacteria to produce lactic acid and acetate (vinegar) (Kanauchi et al., 2002)
2. These compounds would then be taken up by other gut bacteria to make the ‘bowel-health-promoting’ butyrate (Devaux et al,. 2020) in a process called cross-feeding .

Scientists found that after 4 weeks on germinated barley, patients had greater concentrations of butyrate in their stool, were clinically better, while endoscopic examination showed their bowel walls looked significantly better. No patients had any negative side effects (Mitsuyama et al., 1998).

The same scientists (Kanauchi et al., 2002) then did a controlled study in which 18 patients with mildly to moderately active UC, for 4 weeks, were given either:

1. baseline anti-inflammatory therapy (7 patients) or
2. 20–30 g GBF daily, together with the baseline treatment

Patients receiving germinated barley showed:

1. significant clinical improvement (compared to patients not on GB),
2. No side effects,

A representative patient on GB underwent:

1. microbial stool analysis – finding increases in concentration of:
   1. Bifidobacterium (acetate producing bacterium) and
   2. Eubacterium limosum (butyrate producing bacterium).
2. colonoscopy showing significant improvement in bowel appearance.

Authors advocated oral therapy with germinated barley as an adjunct therapy to reduce clinical signs & symptoms in UC patients.

 

Article Written + Submitted by:

Andreas Klein Nutritionist + Remedial Therapist from Beautiful Health + Wellness
P: 0418 166 269