Fuel your performance with postbiotics
The intestines digest food to supply energy to the rest of the body. Postbiotics, in turn, help fuel the intestines themselves.
Postbiota Science team · 3 min read
We all know our intestines digest food to provide energy, vitamins and nutrients to the rest of the body. Less well known is that postbiotics help fuel the intestines themselves.
Postbiotics like butyrate are not a nice-to-have for the gut. They are part of the body’s energy engine: butyrate provides up to 70% of the energy required by colon cells (Pryde et al., 2002). This source of energy plays an important role in keeping the body running efficiently.
It does not stop there. Postbiotics also support gut motility (Cherbut et al., 1997; Martin-Gallausiaux et al., 2021), helping nutrients to be absorbed while waste moves through smoothly. Because postbiotics enhance gut barrier function (Martin-Gallausiaux et al., 2021; Van Hook, 2015), they help the body absorb the essentials while keeping harmful invaders out.
For people committed to high performance, postbiotics can also modulate inflammation (Meijer et al., 2010; Siddiqui & Cresci, 2021), reducing stress on the gut. A healthy gut is a critical foundation for a well-functioning immune system. It is not only about digestion; it is about fuelling performance in every area of life.
Take care of your gut, and your gut will take care of you.
This article summarises scientific literature for professional readers. It is not a health claim for any product and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
01 Butyrate supplies up to 70% of colon cell energy.
02 Postbiotics support motility and barrier function.
03 They help modulate gut inflammation.
The figures and mechanisms cited come from microbiology and review literature on SCFAs in general, not from studies of a specific ingredient.
References
1 Cherbut, C., Aubé, A. C., Blottière, H. M., & Galmiche, J. P. (1997). Effects of Short-Chain Fatty Acids on Gastrointestinal Motility. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 32(222), 58–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/00365521.1997.11720720
2 Martin-Gallausiaux, C., Marinelli, L., Blottière, H. M., Larraufie, P., & Lapaque, N. (2021). SCFA: mechanisms and functional importance in the gut. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 80(1), 37–49. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665120006916
3 Meijer, K., De Vos, P., & Priebe, M. G. (2010). Butyrate and other short-chain fatty acids as modulators of immunity: What relevance for health? Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care, 13(6), 715–721. https://doi.org/10.1097/MCO.0B013E32833EEBE5
4 Pryde, S. E., Duncan, S. H., Hold, G. L., Stewart, C. S., & Flint, H. J. (2002). The microbiology of butyrate formation in the human colon. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 217(2), 133–139. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1574-6968.2002.TB11467.X
5 Siddiqui, M. T., & Cresci, G. A. M. (2021). The Immunomodulatory Functions of Butyrate. Journal of Inflammation Research, 14, 6025–6041. https://doi.org/10.2147/JIR.S300989
6 Van Hook, A. M. (2015). Butyrate benefits the intestinal barrier. Science Signaling, 8(378). https://doi.org/10.1126/SCISIGNAL.AAC6198
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