Butyrate research hub

Butyrate Research: Guides, Studies and the Form We Chose

By Brandon, founder of Ozzi · Updated October 9, 2026

TL;DR: Butyrate is a fatty acid your gut bacteria make from fiber. It's the main fuel for the cells lining your colon, and researchers are studying it for GLP-1, inflammation, liver health and mood. Everything we've written about it is on this page. If you want to take it, we chose L-lysine butyrate.

Every study linked Human trials named as human Written in plain English Updated October 2026

The form we chose

Ozzi BIOMEnd Butyrate

1,000 mg of BIOMEnd L-lysine butyrate per daily serving of 4 capsules. No sodium carrier and no added oils. 112 capsules, 28 servings per bottle. It is a dietary supplement.

See the butyrate supplement

The same butyrate, at 500 mg a serving, is in our Natural GLP-1 Supplement capsules and our Crave Crusher drink.

What is butyrate?

Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid that your gut bacteria make when they ferment fiber you can't digest yourself. It's the main fuel for the cells that line your colon.

Researchers measured this in colon cells taken from people during surgery. Butyrate accounted for about 70% of the oxygen those cells used to make energy (Roediger 1980).

Most of it stays in your gut. In 12 healthy adults, only about 2% of the butyrate delivered to the colon reached the general bloodstream (Boets 2017).

Our guide to what butyrate is has the full story.

Where should you start?

Start with the guide that matches your question. Each one answers it in the first few lines, then shows the studies.

What is butyrate?What it is, where it comes from and what it does in your body. Butyrate benefitsThe 8 areas researchers are studying, with the human trials so far. Butyrate foodsThe foods that contain it, and the foods that help your gut make it. Best form of butyrateFour forms compared on smell, sodium, added oils and cost per day. Best butyrate supplement9 supplements read side by side, with butyrate per serving and cost. Butyrate side effectsWhat human trials reported, and who should ask a doctor first.

What are researchers studying about butyrate?

Researchers are studying butyrate for GLP-1 and appetite, inflammation, the liver, stress and mood, colon health, weight and gut comfort. Most of this research is early, and each area has its own post.

Area	The question being tested	Read more
GLP-1 and appetite	Does butyrate support your body's own GLP-1?	Butyrate and GLP-1
Inflammation	Does it lower inflammation markers in the blood?	Butyrate and inflammation
The liver	Does it help the liver handle fat?	Butyrate and liver health
Stress and mood	Does the gut send calmer signals to the brain?	Butyrate, serotonin and mood
Colon health	What does the main fuel of colon cells do there?	Butyrate and colon cancer research
Weight	Does it add to weight loss during a diet?	Butyrate and weight loss
Gut comfort	Does it ease bloating and other gut symptoms?	Butyrate for IBS and bloating

Our butyrate benefits guide ranks these areas by how much human research each one has.

Which form of butyrate is best?

We think L-lysine butyrate is the best form of butyrate for most people. It has a milder smell, no sodium and no added oils.

It costs more than sodium butyrate. We think it's worth it for something you take every day.

Form	What it is	Good to know
Sodium butyrate	Butyrate paired with sodium	Most studied; usually the lowest cost; rancid smell; about 21% sodium
Calcium magnesium butyrate	Butyrate paired with calcium and magnesium	No sodium; we found no human absorption study
Tributyrin	Three butyrates attached to glycerol, making a fat	No sodium; slower to reach the blood; often an oil-filled softgel
L-lysine butyrate	Butyrate paired with L-lysine, an amino acid	Milder smell, no sodium, no added oils; newest, 1 human study

In a 2025 human study, 10 men took three of these forms on separate days. Each dose held the same amount of butyrate (La Monica 2025).

L-lysine butyrate peaked in the blood at about 20 minutes. Sodium butyrate peaked at about 22 minutes, so the two finished about even. Tributyrin peaked at about 51 minutes, and much lower. L-lysine butyrate's peak was about 5 times tributyrin's.

It was a small study, and it measured absorption, not health results.

Smell is the complaint people notice first. Butyric acid is the compound that gives rancid butter its odor, and our guide to butyrate smell and taste explains why.

We sell a butyrate supplement, which is why we read this research closely. We looked for the best form of butyrate, found L-lysine butyrate, and put it into capsules.

Compare them in more depth: the best form of butyrate to take, sodium butyrate, sodium butyrate vs tributyrin and our L-lysine butyrate guide.

How do you get more butyrate?

You get more butyrate by eating the fiber your gut bacteria ferment, or by taking a butyrate supplement. Food comes first, and a supplement adds to it.

Oats, beans, lentils, onions, garlic and slightly green bananas all feed the bacteria that make butyrate. So do potatoes and rice that were cooked and then cooled.

In a human trial, 20 adults spent 3 weeks on a high-fiber diet. Their blood butyrate ended about 40% higher than after a matched diet (Gill 2022).

Our butyrate foods guide lists the foods that help most.

Is butyrate safe?

Butyrate supplements have been well tolerated in human trials. At the doses those trials used, side effects were mild and uncommon, such as short-lived nausea and headache.

One caution. In 23 adults with high blood pressure, 4 weeks of sodium butyrate raised daytime blood pressure (Verhaar 2024). If you have high blood pressure or another medical condition, ask your doctor first.

Our guide to butyrate side effects covers the smell, the sodium and who else should be careful.

What have human studies of butyrate found?

Human studies of butyrate have found lower inflammation markers, a rise in GLP-1 in one trial, and more weight lost during a diet in another. The trials are small, most studied people with a health condition, and some saw no change.

Study	Who was studied	What happened
La Monica 2025	10 men, one serving of each of 3 forms	L-lysine butyrate peaked at about 20 minutes
Roshanravan 2017	60 adults with type 2 diabetes, 45 days	GLP-1 rose in the butyrate groups
Amiri 2025	50 adults with obesity, 8 weeks	GLP-1 did not change
Testa 2026	46 adults on a diet, 12 weeks	Without diabetes: about 15 pounds lost, versus 7 on placebo
Firoozi 2024	36 adults with colitis, 12 weeks	An inflammation marker fell and sleep scores improved
Qaisar 2025	146 women past menopause, 12 weeks	Two leaky-gut blood markers fell; grip strength improved
Fogacci 2024	50 adults with fatty liver, 12 weeks	Liver fat score improved; tablet also held zinc and vitamin D
Dalile 2020	66 men, 1 week, three gut fatty acids	Stress hormone rose less in a stress test
Tougaard 2022	53 adults with type 1 diabetes, 12 weeks	A gut inflammation marker did not change
Verhaar 2024	23 adults with high blood pressure, 4 weeks	Daytime blood pressure rose

Butyrate supplements are not a treatment for any disease. If you have a medical condition, work with your doctor.

Our research library lists more butyrate studies, including the early lab research.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best butyrate supplement?

We think the best butyrate supplement for most people is an L-lysine butyrate capsule. It has a milder smell, no sodium and no added oils. It costs more than sodium butyrate, and we think it's worth it.

What is L-lysine butyrate?

L-lysine butyrate is butyrate paired with an amino acid in place of sodium. It has a milder smell, no sodium and no added oils. In a 10-man human study it reached the blood in about 20 minutes, about even with sodium butyrate.

What does butyrate do for the body?

Butyrate fuels the cells that line your colon and supports the gut barrier. Early research also links it to GLP-1, the fullness hormone, and to calmer immune cells in the gut wall.

Does butyrate support GLP-1?

Butyrate stimulates the L-cells that release GLP-1, and lab research has shown that repeatedly. In people, a 45-day trial found a rise in GLP-1, and two other trials found no change. Larger human trials are the next step.

Are butyrate supplements safe?

In human trials so far, butyrate supplements have been well tolerated. At the doses those trials used, side effects were mild and uncommon, such as short-lived nausea and headache. In one trial, blood pressure rose in adults with high blood pressure, so they should ask a doctor first.

How do you take Ozzi BIOMEnd Butyrate?

BIOMEnd Butyrate is 4 capsules once a day with water. The same butyrate, at 500 mg a serving, is in our Natural GLP-1 Supplement capsules and our Crave Crusher drink, which you take after dinner.

Did the absorption study use the same amount as an Ozzi serving?

No. Each form in the study supplied 786 mg of butyric acid. A serving of BIOMEnd Butyrate is 1,000 mg of L-lysine butyrate, which holds less butyric acid than that. The study shows how fast each form reaches the blood.

All of our butyrate posts

Start here

Choosing a supplement

The research

Also on the site: our butyrate drink mix, what's inside Ozzi and the full research library.

About the author

Brandon is the founder of Ozzi. He reads the research himself and writes it up in plain English, with the sources listed so you can check them. More at Brandon's author page.

Want to try butyrate?

We looked for the best form of butyrate, found L-lysine butyrate, and put it into capsules for easy daily use.

See the butyrate supplement Compare the forms

References

La Monica MB, et al. Journal of Exercise and Nutrition. 2025;8(1):4. Journal page
Roediger WE. Gut. 1980. PubMed 7429343
Boets E, et al. J Physiol. 2017. PubMed 27510655
Roshanravan N, et al. Horm Metab Res. 2017. PubMed 28962046
Dalile B, et al. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2020. PubMed 32521538
Gill PA, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2022. PubMed 36084000
Tougaard NH, et al. J Clin Med. 2022. PubMed 35806857
Firoozi D, et al. Lipids Health Dis. 2024. PubMed 39003477
Fogacci F, et al. Nutrients. 2024. PubMed 39125336
Verhaar BJH, et al. Hypertension. 2024. PubMed 39034917
Amiri P, et al. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2025. PubMed 39448815
Qaisar R, et al. Eur J Nutr. 2025. PubMed 40167641
Testa R, et al. Clin Nutr. 2026. PubMed 41880673

This page is for educational purposes and isn't medical advice. It describes published research on butyrate, not the effects of any Ozzi product. Ozzi products are dietary supplements and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk to your healthcare provider before starting any supplement, especially if you have a medical condition or take medication.