Butyrate producing microbes
What this marker measures
This marker measures the collective capacity of the microbial community to produce butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that serves as the primary energy source for colonocytes. Butyrate supports gut barrier integrity, immune regulation, and anti-inflammatory signalling1–6.
Clinical associations
Consider this marker when your patient presents with:
Interpreting the result
All results are compared to Microba's healthy cohort to determine whether they fall within or outside the expected range.
Patient management insights
Support the conditions that help the entire butyrate-producing community thrive.
GRADE C
Wheat bran may increase postprandial plasma butyrate levels12–14
Wheat bran may increase postprandial plasma butyrate levels12–14PHGG supplementation may increase butyrate producing microbes15
Tips for patients discussion
Your report suggests a reduced capacity to produce butyrate, an important fuel for the gut lining that also helps regulate inflammation. We can support butyrate-producing microbes through targeted dietary changes, especially by increasing the fibres they thrive on.
The community
Butyrate is not produced by a single species, it's a community-level function. Below are some of the most common, though this list is not exhaustive.
- Coprococcus_A catus
- Coprococcus_B comes
- Coprococcus_B comes
- Coprococcus_B comes
- Eubacterium_I ramulus
- Agathobaculum butyriciproducens
- Faecalibacterium prausnitzii_D
- Faecalibacterium prausnitzii_D
- Gemmiger MIC9530
- Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus
- Odoribacter splanchnicus
- Agathobacter rectale
- Acetatifactor sp900066565
- Faecalibacterium prausnitzii_I
- Eubacterium_I ramulus
- Faecalibacterium prausnitzii_C
- Gemmiger sp003476825
- Oscillibacter sp900066435
- Clostridium_M sp000431375
- Gemmiger formicilis
- Roseburia hominis
- Faecalibacterium prausnitzii_I
How results are calculated
All microbiome marker results are compared against the Microba Healthy Cohort — a purpose-built reference group of more than 450 healthy individuals, collected and analysed using the same workflow as patient samples.
Each marker is scored by comparing the patient's relative abundance against the cohort average. The distance from this average is expressed as standard deviations, and determines whether a result is classified as Low, Borderline, or High.
Source references for all clinical associations, interpretation definitions, and patient management insights on this card.
1. Wang, R. X., Lee, J. S., Campbell, E. L. & Colgan, S. P. Microbiota-derived butyrate dynamically regulates intestinal homeostasis through regulation of actin-associated protein synaptopodin. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117, 11648–11657 (2020).
2. Rosser, E. C. et al. Microbiota-Derived Metabolites Suppress Arthritis by Amplifying Aryl-Hydrocarbon Receptor Activation in Regulatory B Cells. Cell Metabolism 31, 837-851.e10 (2020).
3. Kelly, C. J. et al. Crosstalk between Microbiota-Derived Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Intestinal Epithelial HIF Augments Tissue Barrier Function. Cell Host & Microbe 17, 662–671 (2015).
4. Singh, N. et al. Activation of Gpr109a, Receptor for Niacin and the Commensal Metabolite Butyrate, Suppresses Colonic Inflammation and Carcinogenesis. Immunity 40, 128–139 (2014).
5. Arpaia, N. et al. Metabolites produced by commensal bacteria promote peripheral regulatory T-cell generation. Nature 504, 451–455 (2013).
6. Roediger, W. E. Role of anaerobic bacteria in the metabolic welfare of the colonic mucosa in man. Gut 21, 793–798 (1980).
7. Iversen, K. N. et al. The Effects of High Fiber Rye, Compared to Refined Wheat, on Gut Microbiota Composition, Plasma Short Chain Fatty Acids, and Implications for Weight Loss and Metabolic Risk Factors (the RyeWeight Study). Nutrients 14, 1669 (2022).
8. Sandberg, J. C., Björck, I. M. E. & Nilsson, A. C. Rye-Based Evening Meals Favorably Affected Glucose Regulation and Appetite Variables at the Following Breakfast; A Randomized Controlled Study in Healthy Subjects. PLOS ONE 11, e0151985 (2016).
9. Lappi, J. et al. Postprandial glucose metabolism and SCFA after consuming wholegrain rye bread and wheat bread enriched with bioprocessed rye bran in individuals with mild gastrointestinal symptoms. Nutrition Journal 13, 104 (2014).
10. Stanford, J. et al. High-Diversity Plant-Based Diet and Gut Microbiome, Plasma Metabolome, and Symptoms in Adults with CKD. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 20, 619–631 (2025).
11. Vitale, M. et al. Acute and chronic improvement in postprandial glucose metabolism by a diet resembling the traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern: Can SCFAs play a role? Clinical Nutrition 40, 428–437 (2021).
12. Zhao, L. et al. Gut bacteria selectively promoted by dietary fibers alleviate type 2 diabetes. Science 359, 1151–1156 (2018).
13. Vital, M. et al. Metagenomic Insights into the Degradation of Resistant Starch by Human Gut Microbiota. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 84, e01562-18 (2018).
14. Maier Tanja V. et al. Impact of Dietary Resistant Starch on the Human Gut Microbiome, Metaproteome, and Metabolome. mBio 8, e01343-17 (2017).
15. Costabile, G. et al. Daily profiles of plasma short-chain fatty acids after the intake of three different cereal fibers: a randomized controlled study. Eur J Nutr 64, 217 (2025).
16. Dalile, B. et al. Extruded Wheat Bran Consumption Increases Serum Short-Chain Fatty Acids but Does Not Modulate Psychobiological Functions in Healthy Men: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Front. Nutr. 9, (2022).
17. Wolever, T. M., Schrade, K. B., Vogt, J. A., Tsihlias, E. B. & McBurney, M. I. Do colonic short-chain fatty acids contribute to the long-term adaptation of blood lipids in subjects with type 2 diabetes consuming a high-fiber diet? The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 75, 1023–1030 (2002).
18. Ohashi, Y. et al. Consumption of partially hydrolysed guar gum stimulates Bifidobacteria and butyrate-producing bacteria in the human large intestine. Beneficial Microbes 6, 451–456 (2015).