Butyrate & Ayurveda

“How Butyrate Rebuilds Your Gut Lining, Kills Inflammation, and Restores Balance” by Dr. Marianne Teitelbaum.

The central theme of the video is the critical role of butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid, and Dr. Teitelbaum emphasises obtaining it from naturally occurring food sources rather than synthetic supplements.
This is a summary of the video including the points on natural vs. synthetic butyrate:
The Essential Role of Butyrate
Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) that the body needs but cannot produce on its own. It is created when friendly bacteria in the large intestine (colon) eat the indigestible fibre from the foods you consume
Its primary functions are:
Maintains a Tight Gut Lining (Prevents Leaky Gut): Butyrate keeps the junctions of the gut lining tight. When these junctions loosen due to stress or antibiotics, it causes a “leaky gut,” allowing infections and toxins to leak into the bloodstream and trigger intense inflammation and immune responses
Immune System Signalling: Butyrate acts as an alarm system for the immune system, particularly the white blood cells, which have evolved to have receptors specifically for butyrate. Pathogens do not make butyrate. Therefore, high levels of butyrate in the blood tell the immune system that “everything is okay” and that only good bacteria are in place. If butyrate levels drop, the immune system is mistakenly triggered into a constant state of alert, causing inflammation, because it interprets the lack of butyrate as being “overrun by problematic bugs”.
Rebuilds the Mucus Barrier: Butyrate turns on the production of mucin, the key component of the mucus barrier that protects the gut lining from harmful pathogens.
The Importance of Naturally Occurring Butyrate

Dr. Teitelbaum gives one final, important note to directly address your question:

Do not take all the butyrate supplements which are out there on the market. They’re synthetically made and don’t contain that vital life energy which we call prana in Ayurveda that is found in foods and herbs because they’re somewhat toxic to the liver because they’re the synthetic toxic version of the real thing found in fresh food and herbs.

She strongly recommends getting butyrate by consuming the plant-based, high-fibre foods listed below, allowing your body to naturally produce it.
Foods to Produce Butyrate
Butyrate is produced when you consume high-fibre foods that feed the beneficial gut bacteria.

Recommended sources include:
Pectin: Found in apples, grapefruit, carrots, blackberries, plums, apricots, cherries, raspberries, and sweet potatoes.
Cellulose: Found in broccoli sprouts, bok-choy, yams, jicama, beets, sunflower seeds, squashes, and taro roor
Resistant Starches: Found in navy beans, kidney beans, black beans, lima beans, pearled barley, chickpeas, peas, lentils, rye, and millet .
Anthocyanins (Purple/Red Foods): Blackberries, blueberries, cherries, plums, purple sweet potatoes, black currants, pomegranates, and red onions.
Oat Bran
Raw Honey and Ghee: She notes that consuming these can also help produce lots of butyrate.
The video can be watched below: How Butyrate Rebuilds Your Gut Lining, Kills Inflammation, and Restores Balance

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