Acetate

Optimal Result: 48.1 - 69.2 %.

The colon is inhabited by a large population of microorganisms that are able to ferment carbohydrates and proteins that escape absorption in the small intestine during digestion. These microogranisms produce a wide range of metabolites, including short chain fatty acids (SCFA).

Acetate is the most abundant SCFA in the colon and makes up more than half of the total SCFA detected in feces. These beneficial SCFA have anti-inflammatory properties, provide energy to nourish the colonic epithelial cells and intestinal microbiota, and exert numerous positive effects on gut homeostasis.

Diet affects the gut microbiota composition and activity, and therefore the profile of SCFA and BSCFA synthesized, this having a deep impact on human health. The amount and relative abundance of SCFA may be considered as biomarkers of a healthy status. For example, high fiber-low fat and meat diets are characterized by the presence of higher amounts of fecal SCFA than diets with reduced fiber intake.

Sources:

Intestinal Short Chain Fatty Acids and their Link with Diet and Human Health, 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4756104/

What does it mean if your Acetate result is too low?

Low SCFA may indicate inadequate fiber intake, an unbalanced commensal bacterial population, or impaired bowel health.

Potential Source or Association:

- Decreased carbohydrate or fiber intake

- Low anaerobic or commensal bacteria: dysbiosis

- Altered levels of SCFA have been associated with compromised mucosal health and increased colonic inflammation

Therapeutic Considerations:

- Increase dietary carbohydrate and fiber intake (fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains)

- Evaluate and treat abnormalities of commensal gut bacteria

- Consider prebiotic supplementation

What does it mean if your Acetate result is too high?

Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA): Acetate, n-Butyrate and Propionate are produced by anaerobic bacterial fermentation of indigestible carbohydrate (fiber).

Acetate is the most abundant SCFA in the colon and makes up more than half of the total SCFA detected in feces.

Possible cause:

Imbalance among anaerobic organisms in the colon. Elevated % recovery of acetate suggests an overgrowth of anaerobic flora, specifically Clostridium.

Possible considerations:

- Assess Bifidobacteria

- Further Testing: Clostridium difficile EIA

10 000+ happy customers
100% satisfaction
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ customer support

Understand blood, stool, and urine medical results from all your laboratories.

Upload Your Personal Results

Upload Personal Results

For professional account plans go here

for professional account plans go here

Monthly plan

Annual plan

Own it for life

  • Subscription
  • Data entry service included

    Data entry service

    Our exclusive data entry service is a convenient way to get your results into your private dashboard. Simply attach an image or a file of your lab test results, and one of our qualified data entry team members will add the results for you. We support all sorts of files, whether PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is excellent whether you have a lot of reports to upload or are too busy to do the data entry yourself.

  • Instant interpretation
  • Use free data entry form

    Free data entry form

    We strive to make the data entry process easy for you. Whether by offering dozens of templates to choose from that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels or by giving you instant feedback on the entered values. Our data entry forms are an easy, fast, and convenient way to enter the reports yourself. There is no limit on how many lab reports you can upload.

  • 4000+ biomarkers explained
  • Nutrition recommendations
  • Cancel anytime

Complete

$15 /month

billed every month

  • monthly
  • $15 per report
  • ✓ Instant interpretations
  • ✓ 4000+ biomarkers explained
  • ✓ Nutrition recommendations
  • ✓ Free data entry form
  • ✓ Unlimited data
  • ✓ $15 data entry service
  • ✓ Cancel anytime

Most popular

Data entry included

Advanced

$79 /year

$6.60/month billed annually

  • yearly
  • 5 reports free
  • ✓ Instant interpretations
  • ✓ 4000+ biomarkers explained
  • ✓ Nutrition recommendations
  • ✓ We enter 5 reports for you
  • ✓ Yearly subscription
  • ✓ Cancel anytime

Data entry included

Unlimited

$250 /once

own it for life

  • pay once
  • 10 reports free
  • ✓ Instant interpretations
  • ✓ 4000+ biomarkers explained
  • ✓ Nutrition recommendations
  • ✓ We enter 10 reports for you
  • ✓ No subscription
  • ✓ Dedicated support
  • ✓ Unlimited access

Are You a Health Professional?

Get started with our professional plan

Welcome to Healthmatters Pro.

Save time on interpreting lab results with the largest database of biomarkers online. In-depth research on any test at your fingertips, all stored and tracked in one place. Learn more

Pro Monthly Plus

for health professionals

  • ✓ Track multiple clients results
  • ✓ No setup fees
  • ✓ No hidden costs
  • ✓ Instant interpretations
  • ✓ 4000+ biomarkers explained
  • ✓ Includes data entry service
  • ✓ Personal training and support
  • ✓ Cancel anytime

$75 per month

Use promo code to save 10% off any plan.


We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.

At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.