SCFAs are produced from the fermentation of fibre and protein by certain components of the gut microflora. The SCFAs produced from the fermentation of fibre by probiotic bacteria such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli have a range of beneficial effects from serving as a fuel for cells lining the intestine (and the rest of the body) to creating an acidic intestinal environment that is unfavourable to potential pathogens.
- Low levels may suggest that the diet is low in fibre or there is an imbalance in the gut microflora.
- Low levels of bacteria that produce n-butyrate and propionate have been linked to inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis (n-butyrate) and childhood asthma (propionate).
- Patients with advanced colorectal adenoma have reduced fecal n-butyrate and studies indicate that SCFA may play an important role in protection against colorectal cancer. These SCFA, especially n-butyrate, can act in secondary chemoprevention by slowing growth and triggering apoptosis of colon cancer cells, and in primary prevention by activating drug metabolizing enzymes, reducing the mutation burden of carcinogens.
- Consistent with their role in glucose homeostasis, fecal SCFA are often low when metabolic disease is present. Type 2 diabetes and gout have been associated with reduced abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria.
- Low SCFA levels are associated with gut motility problems. Transit times > 50 hours may lead to reduced fecal SCFA due to enhanced colonic uptake.
- Antibiotics reduce SCFA production and may be the cause of diarrhea.
- Fecal SCFA levels tend to be higher in obese/overweight adults than in those who are lean.
Understand and improve your laboratory results with our health dashboard.
Upload your lab reports and get interpretation today.
Our technology helps to understand, combine, track, organize, and act on your medical lab test results.
Elevated SCFAs may indicate bacterial overgrowth.
High levels might be due to a very high fibre and/or protein diet, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or malabsorption, for whatever reason. Treatment will need to address these issues.
Interpret Your Lab Results
Upload your lab report and we’ll interpret and provide you with recomendations today.
Get StartedGet Started With Our Personal Plan
Advanced Plan
Unlimited Plan
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 Plan
for health professionals
$45 per month
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.
Acetate, Akkermansia muciniphila, Anaerotruncus colihominis, Anaerotruncus colihominis/massiliensis, Ancylostoma/Necator (Hookworm), Ascaris lumbricoides, Bacteroides uniformis, Bacteroides vulgatus, Bacteroides-Prevotella group, Barnesiella spp., Beta-glucuronidase, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum, Bifidobacterium spp., Blastocystis spp., Butyrivibrio crossotus, Calprotectin, Candida albicans/dubliniensis, Capillaria philippinensis, Cholesterol, Citrobacter species, Clostridium spp., Collinsella aerofaciens, Coprococcus eutactus, Cryptosporidium parvum/hominis, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Desulfovibrio piger, Dientamoeba fragilis, Entamoeba histolytica, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobius vermicularis, Enterococcus faecalis, Eosinophil Protein X, Escherichia coli, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Fecal Color, Fecal Consistency, Fecal Fat, Total, Fecal Occult Blood, Fecal secretory IgA, Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B Ratio), Fusobacterium spp., Giardia, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella species, Lactobacillus spp., Long-Chain Fatty Acids, Methanobrevibacter smithii, n-Butyrate %, n-Butyrate Concentration, Odoribacter spp., Oxalobacter formigenes, Pancreatic Elastase 1, Phocaeicola vulgatus, Phospholipids, Prevotella spp., Products of Protein Breakdown (Total), Propionate, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudoflavonifractor spp., Roseburia spp., Ruminococcus bromii, Ruminococcus spp., Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA), Total, Triglycerides, Veillonella spp., Zonulin Family Peptide