The 7 Best Butyrate Supplement Brands + Its Fascinating Benefits

The best butyrate supplement brands may help with many aspects of gut health and more. 

Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid that is naturally made in the gut and is also found in butter as the name indicates. It is a fuel for gut cells, so every digestive tract needs it. 

Many health conditions outside the gut are related to low butyrate levels. 

That is why many people are turning to butyrate supplements to help improve how they feel. 

In this post, learn about the best butyrate brands, where to buy them, the benefits of butyrate, and potential side effects. 

Best Butyrate Supplement Overview

An important detail that you should know about butyrate supplements is that they have a smell reminiscent of sour milk.  But, don’t let that deter you from reaping the health benefits of it. 

If the smell is a deal breaker for you, try the supplements that contain tributyrin or Sun Butyrin™ instead because they have less odor in the triglyceride form.  They are indicated here with an asterisk like this *

Best Butyrate Supplement Brands-How to Choose

Butyrate is a natural compound that is made from fermenting dietary fiber. This is how butyrate supplements are also made. 

So, really, the form of butyrate you choose is more a matter of personal preference and brand reputation. 

The butyrate brands chosen for this post are high quality because:

• They are professional grade
• Have a great reputation for quality
• Include healing ingredients
• Help with other aspects of digestive health such as including digestive enzymes
• Have 3rd party certification known as GMP certification

Best Butyrate Overall

Pure Encapsulations Sun Butyrate™ is the best butyrate because it contains zero additives and is in a very pleasing liquid form. Its flavor is blueberry vanilla, which most people love. This brand is also highly reputable and trusted by healthcare providers and the public alike. It costs $0.70 per serving if you buy it from Amazon and $0.46 per serving if you buy it from Fullscript. 

Other features: 

• 875 mg of butyric acid per serving, so it is the highest dose
• Made with Sun Butyrate™, natural vitamin E, rosemary leaf extract, and nothing else
• 56 servings per container
• Great tasting for a butyrate supplement

Best Butyrate with Digestive Enzymes

Intolerase by Vita Aid Professional Therapeutics is a professional-grade butyrate supplement designed to help people with food intolerances and help heal the gut as well. Reviewers report that it is a great alternative to the low FODMAP diet or other restrictive diets for food sensitivities in some cases. By containing carbohydrate-digesting enzymes, this supplement helps alleviate many kinds of digestive issues. 

Please note that this is available only through Fullscript, but it’s easy to sign up for an account. 

It is important to take this supplement with each meal to have the most benefit from it. 

Other features: 

• Around $1 per capsule 
• Per 3 capsules, this supplement contains:
  • 138 mg calcium from calcium butyrate
  • 600 mg butyrate from butyric acid
  • Digestive enzyme blend:
    • Alpha-Galactosidase
    • Lactase
    • Alpha-Amylase
    • Beta-Amylase
    • Glucoamylase
    • Pectinase
    • Beta-Glucanase
    • Hemicellulase
    • Invertase
    • Xylanase
    • Maltase
    • Fungal Protease
    • Acid Protease
      

Best Butyrate Value

Body Bio Calcium Magnesium Butyrate is by far the best value for a butyrate supplement on the market today. At only $0.29 each on Amazon, you can reasonably try this out to see if it helps you. It is also very highly rated for a butyrate supplement. A bonus is that it does contain a fairly decent amount of both calcium and magnesium, which are minerals that many people lack in their diets. 

Bonus: If you buy directly from Body Bio, you can save 15% using the code HEALTHYRD.

Other features:

• GMP-certified and HACCP certified
• No fillers, no additives
• Gentle on the belly
• Supplies 600 mg of butyrate per capsule
• 40 mg of magnesium and 80 mg of calcium per capsule
• Like other butyrate supplements, helps improve the microbiome, increases antioxidants in the body, and is good for metabolism

Best Professional Grade

Seryoal/Genestra Butyrate Complex is also a great value and ranks highly because of the company’s professional-grade status. This means that they are usually only available through a healthcare professional.  However, somehow Amazon has been able to obtain these supplements as well. 

They cost $0.40 per capsule on Amazon and $0.26 on Fullscript

Other features: 

• Serving Size: 1 Capsule
• Amount Per Serving
• Calcium … 55mg (as calcium butyrate)
• Magnesium … 25mg (as magnesium butyrate)
• Butyric Acid … 460mg (as calcium/magnesium butyrate)
• No fillers or additives

Best Tasting Butyrate

Healus is a great butyrate supplement because it is DRcaps® Capsules delayed release and contains a very bioavailable form of butyrate called Tributryin. It doesn’t have the characteristic butyrate taste because of the form of a capsule and Tributyrin also doesn’t have much taste either. 

$0.82 per capsule on Amazon. 

Other features:

• GMP Certified
• Pure encapsulated liquid Tributyrin
• 500 mg Tributyrin per capsule
• Most bioavailable form of butyrate
• 60 capsules per container
• Ebook available with each purchase that covers dosing and tips on taking it

Best Butyrate Supplement with Probiotics

Gundry MD Bio Complete 3 is actually the only butyrate supplement on the market that I can find that also contains probiotics too. I love that it contains a Bacillus coagulans strain of probiotics because they are well-tolerated and become many types of healthy bacteria in the gut. This also contains the prebiotic Sunfiber®. Each serving also contains 1000 mg of butyrate as Corebiome®. The only complaint about this supplement is the price, but it is only high priced if you take the full recommended dose, which I recommend you start with 1 instead of 4 to help your body adapt. Each capsule costs $0.37 on Amazon. 

Other features: 

• Many people find that this alleviates constipation
• Alleviates bloating for many
• 120 capsules per container
• 3rd party certified
• Made famous by Dr. Gundry

Best Butyrate Supplement for Gut Healing

GI Restore LF by Vita Aid Professional Therapeutics is a very healing supplement because it not only contains butyrate, it also contains the research-proven zinc carnosine for gut healing. It also contains glutamine, carnosine, and quercetin, all known to support gut health. 

This costs $0.50 per capsule, which is a good value too. Please note that it is only available on Fullscript at this time but it’s easy to sign up. 

Other features: 

• Serving Size: 3 Capsules per day
• Calcium 56mg from calcium butyrate
• Zinc 36mg from zinc L-carnosine
• L-Carnosine  114mg from zinc L-carnosine
• Curcumin 200mg as C3-Complex®
• L-Glutamine 600mg
• Cayenne Extract 20mg
• Quercetin … 300mg
• Butyrate … 244mg

Honorable Mention

Designs for Health is a great brand for all of its supplements including their butyrate supplement. Contains tributyrin as Corebiome® which is a research-backed form of butyrate. Like other brands listed here, it is substantially cheaper on Fullscript than on Amazon, but you have both choices to purchase it. 

Other features:

• 300 mg per softgel
• $0.78 per softgel on Amazon
• And $0.49 on Fullscript
• Tributyrin as Corebiome®
• GMP certified

What is Butyrate?

Butyrate is a natural substance and a type of short-chain fatty acid.  It is made in the gut from the fermentation of fiber.  Happily, it is also found in small amounts in butter and cheese too.  It is a health supplement as well. 

While some experts argue that you can get enough butyrate if you eat enough fiber, some people have disrupted guts. So, this process of forming butyrate in the gut isn’t straightforward for everyone. 

And research now proves that supplementing butyrate has very beneficial effects on gut health.  Many people notice that other aspects of their health improve as well, including their mental health or a reduction in autoimmune symptoms after taking butyrate for a month or so. 

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of butyrate. 

Reduces Inflammatory Bowel Disease

By far the most researched health topic for butyrate is in the area of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Most research regarding IBD confirms that butyrate is helpful in dampening down the symptoms of IBD especially in ulcerative colitis. 

This is because butyrate is able to help regulate the immune system response in the gut by balancing the T-cells there. 

While the studies are small regarding the benefits of butyrate, they are very promising.  for diseases like ulcerative colitis. 

One research study showed that 72% of patients getting butyrate supplementation as an add-on treatment had improved their colitis symptoms while only 24% in the control group (mesalamine only) after 1 year of treatment. 

Interestingly, supplemental butyrate improved the body’s ability to make more butyrate by promoting healthy bacteria in the gut for people who have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. 

People with ulcerative colitis receiving butyrate plus probiotics and prebiotics had a reduction of colitis symptoms while people receiving standard treatment (5-ASA) alone did not have any symptom reduction over a period of 1 year. 

How does butyrate work for IBD? Butyrate helps repair the gut lining, heals a leaky gut, balances immunity, and also helps to decrease inflammation in IBD conditions. 

Reduces IBS Symptoms

Butyrate also helps reduce irritable bowel symptoms according to research. 

Fascinatingly, it really seemed to help. For example, almost 3000 people with IBS received 300 mg of butyrate daily for 12 weeks and the results were striking.  94% of patients said they would continue taking it because they felt better, while 89% said they would recommend it to others. While this wasn’t a randomized trial, it speaks of the powerful effects it may have in reducing IBD symptoms. 

In a randomized clinical trial, butyrate for gut health was examined in IBS patients. There was a significant reduction in negative symptoms such as bowel urgency. 

Researchers speculate that the reason that it may help with IBS symptoms is because it helps heal the gut lining and reduces gut pain stimulus. 

Healthy for Immunity

Some potential immune health benefits of butyrate are related to the fact that butyrate helps heal the gut lining. This means that the gut is better able to protect the body from unwanted bacteria and viruses. 

Additionally, butyric acid, a type of butyrate, helps to increase beneficial bacteria in the gut, including Akkermansia muciniphila. Interestingly, sodium butyrate works better than the prebiotic inulin for increasing this beneficial bacteria. 

Butyrate also helps balance adaptive immune responses in the body including T cells. This means that butyrate may dampen the effects of autoimmune diseases although more research is needed. 

Decreases Inflammation

Anything that helps heal the gut usually helps decrease inflammation in the body. Butyrate is no exception.

For example, one clinical study found that sodium butyrate very significantly decreased inflammatory markers in the blood of people with type 2 diabetes. Blood pressure also significantly decreased in the people getting butyrate in this study. The dose of 600 mg per day was used over a period of 45 days. 

May Help People With Parkinson’s Disease

Early research suggests that butyrate may help alleviate some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. One study found that sodium butyrate reduces the movement impairments of Parkinson’s disease although this research is preliminary. 

Additionally, low butyrate levels in the blood are linked to depression symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. It’s too early to say if butyrate will help people who suffer from this debilitating disease. 

May Improve Mood

When you check into butyrate supplements, a common theme of improved mood comes up in many reviews. 

Research is also beginning to support the concept that butyrate is involved in making depressive symptoms improve. Interestingly, one study found that butyrate improved both mood and memory in mice under stressful situations. Another study in mice found similar stress-busting benefits of butyrate. 

None of this is too surprising because the digestive system is home to a large number of happy brain chemicals, including dopamine and serotonin. 

Potential Heart Benefits

Anything that dampens inflammation, including butyrate, may help improve heart health. 

A recent review of research examined the many possible heart benefits of butyrate, including its antioxidant effects, its anti-inflammatory effects, its ability to possibly help reduce body weight, and its ability to improve the microbiome. 

Some clinical research shows that butyrate helps reduce blood pressure in obese people with Type 2 diabetes. 

It also helps to reduce a harmful substance in the blood called oxidized LDL. However, there may be a total increase in LDL, but the research is lacking related to the more harmful small, dense LDL cholesterol. 

Butyrate may even reduce blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, but more research is needed. 

May Reduce Diverticulitis Symptoms

Diverticulitis is a common gut condition that is very painful and often requires medical management.  

One research study found that simply adding a supplement of sodium butyrate at 300 mg per day reduced the total number of episodes of diverticulitis in people who had previous cases of it. Improvement in the quality of life of the people receiving butyrate was seen as well. 

This is just one more reason that butyrate is considered a healthy gut supplement. 

May Prevent Traveler’s Diarrhea

As far as intestinal health supplements go, butyrate has many benefits, including the ability to help prevent traveler’s diarrhea. 

Taking sodium butyrate helped reduce the chances of getting nausea, bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhea among people traveling to tropical countries. 

FAQs

When and how should I take butyrate?

It is best to take butyrate with food.  When you first start taking butyrate, it is best to start with half the recommended dose on the supplement label for at least 2-3 days.  Then if tolerated you can increase the dose to 2-3 capsules per day as needed. 

Are there side effects of butyrate?

Occasionally, people feel some initial side effects known as healing reactions or “die-off” symptoms as their body adjusts to the supplements. For example, you may experience more frequent bowel movements or some mild gut discomfort. 

How long does it take butyrate to work?

You may notice some benefits right away, but other people tend to feel the full benefits of butyrate after taking it for about a month. 

Is it ok to use sodium butyrate? 

Yes, for most people, sodium butyrate is a perfectly good choice. However, because it does contain a modest amount of sodium, people on a sodium-restricted diet should avoid it. 

Can’t I just eat resistant starch or fiber to get enough butyrate?

No one really knows. 

Research indicates that butyrate has benefits above and beyond fiber and prebiotics. In my experience, many kinds of fiber can cause gut distress in and of itself unless you incorporate it gradually and acknowledge any food sensitivities to various fibers. If you want the guaranteed benefits of butyrate, it is best to eat both more gentle fibers like acacia or pectin and try adding butyrate with supplements. 

What is the best probiotic to take with butyrate?

No one really knows the best probiotic to take with butyrate. But it likely depends on the benefits you are trying to achieve. 

For more information on probiotics for various benefits, check out my previous blog here: 

What is the best form of butyrate?

This is also a matter of personal preference.  Most research studies in humans use sodium butyrate or tributyrin. The effects reported in reviews seem quite similar for all butyrate supplements.