Butyric Acid and Niacin

[George Kapetanakis]

I would be interested to find out too.

[David]

I tried butyric acid, noticed no effect but this was just me, maybe the dose was wrong .

[Beth T Browne]

I saw my Parkinson’s doctor last week.  I told her about some having good results from using these items.  She was not recommending it.  She didn’t say it was harmful, she just said it usual provides a false result, like when tests give some the real medication and others receive a fake one.

[David]

I am now taking butyric acid again and  finding it helps me to feel better

[George Kapetanakis]

Thanks David

[David]

You’re welcome George…  do keep us posted on what you find

[JAMES]

?

[Philippe Joly]

I use niacin (also named vitami B3) occasionally as a sleeping aid as it is a precursor to melatonin. I have not felt significant effects on parkinson’s symptoms but I consider it could be a bonus.

I tried butyric acid also with no noticeable effects. Likewise with a couple other products. It seems now to me interesting to monitor the news flow on such still-promising products but not try them until a more accurate protocole and its actual performances are published.

[Philippe Joly]

I use niacin (also named vitami B3) occasionally as a sleeping aid as it is a precursor to melatonin. I have not felt significant effects on parkinson’s symptoms but I consider it could be a bonus.

I tried butyric acid also with no noticeable effects. Likewise with a couple other products. It seems now to me interesting to monitor the news flow on such still-promising products but not try them until a more accurate protocole and its actual performances are published.

[Russ Hudson]

I take niacin and butyric acid supplements. It has reversed my Parkinson’s. No more tremors, anxiety, movement dreams, difficulty writing, feeling hot, brain fog.

I take 12 pills a day of butyric acid supplements, six in the morning and six at night.

[Beth T Browne]

Hi Russ,

I was amazed in reading your comment about how the items you mention that you take 12 of a day, had helped you so much. I was diagnoised this year, but we feel I had it a year before. It started with tremors, then after an MRI of my brain, she said I was lacking Dopamine. The did not agree with me. Made me so nauseous. She now has me taking three a day of Dopamine, 15%, I get from Amazon. So far it has not done anything. Then, 2 weeks before Thanksgiving, I lost my sense of taste. Smell is okay. That has been the worse for me. I just don’t feel like eating. And, I only weight 93, so I need to eat. I have nothing from anyone who has lost their taste, and how they are handling it. Anyway, I too, am wondering if your PD doc feels what you are taking that is working is okay with it, and if there could be side effects. Thank you.
Beth

[Bolt Upright]

Hello Russ, I am so excited about your results. I am wondering.  Your profile says you were self diagnosed.  Since that self diagnosis, have you been diagnosed by an MD?

Don’t get me wrong, I do think you are onto something.  In fact there is a recent study that came out showing 250 mg of B3 stopped disease progression in 47 out of 47 people in a trial.
Niacin Enhancement for Parkinson’s Disease:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352486597_Niacin_Enhancement_for_Parkinson's_Disease_An_Effectiveness_Trial

[Allison]

WOW amazing thanks for the feedback !

[Paula]

How soon after you began taking butyric acid and niacin did you see improvement.?

Was it gradual or all at once?

Thanks.

[Robert Harris]

Okay, let’s see if we can discover why natural remedies are so often shoved aside by the pharmaceutical industry:

1. A remedy must be proven to be SAFE and EFFECTIVE before it can be declared a genuine remedy.

2. To prove a remedy is safe and effective, several rounds of development and testing are necessary. For a new chemical, the cost to big pharma is often about a billion dollars, what with one in 5000 compounds ever making it to human testing.

3. The reward to big pharma for taking a billion-dollar risk is a 17-year patent, which allows them to be the monopolistic sellers of the new drug. They can then sell the drug for $50 a pill or more.

4. Natural remedies would cost less to vet, but would still require testing for effectiveness in drug trials.

5. What would be big pharma’s reward? They could sell the drug–but so could every other drug company, health food store, grocery store supplements department, and so on. A pill might sell for a nickle a pill.

6. It’s not worth the time and effort for big pharma to test freely available natural remedies.

7. As much as I  hate to say, “The government should do it,” the feds should dedicate a lot more dough into research, the results of which would be available to everyone. (They do some of this now.)

8. When you look at the natural remedy stuff  in the vitamin store, note that they use the world’s biggest weasel word: “supports.” Our product supports  heart health. Then the label might include, “This product is not intended to prevent, treat, or cure any  health condition.” Or something to that effect.

[Robert Harris]

Russ:

What is the strength of your pills? Do you take straight butyric acid or GABA?

[Robert]

Hi Russ

I also take Butyric Acid but much less than you do. I also take Shark Liver Oil.  I would be very interested in knowing what brand of Butyric Acid you take and also what type you take Sodium Butyrate or Calcium Butyrate? Please could you also tell me what Niacin you take?

[Russ Hudson]

Flush free Niacin, 500 mg, one pill a day.
Calcium/Magnesium Butyrex Complex, Calcium 480 mg, Magnesium 240 mg, Butyric Acid 3.6 g. Serving size six capsules, taken twice a day.

[Christina]

Russ, I purchased the Butyrex that you said you use, the T. E. Neesby.  I have yet to start it because it has 240 mg of Magnesium hydroxide.  I also take Magnesium L-Threonate.  I take the Magnesium L-Threonate bc of a study published in 2019.  It was only a mouse study but it stated that it crosses the blood brain barrier and (in mice at least) slowed motor decline and neuronal loss.  So I have two questions, do you have any recommendations of a source of Butyric acid that is not coupled with magnesium?  And, does anyone have any personal experience with or further knowledge on Magnesium L-Threonate?  (Please, I understand we are not mice so no need to emphasize that aspect of this equation.)

 

[Rob Stehlin]

I suffer from low butyrate ALSO and have some questions for all:

1.  Prior to taking butyrate, did you test your SCFA levels?

2a.  Prior to taking butyrate, did you have your gut microbiome sequenced in order to determine levels of bacteria and fungi (in particular the ones that produce SCFA’S)?

2.  Prior to taking butyrate, did you notice the loss of body odor?  If so, did it return after you starting taking a butyrate supplement?

3.  Prior to taking butyrate, did you notice your flatulent lost its odor?

4.  Prior, during, post taking butyrate, did anyone test for Organic Acids, Chemical Toxins, Heavy Metals or Mold? IF so what did you find out?

 

 

[Murray Zipf]

I was diagnosed 4 years ago- all the classic symptoms- loss of movement left hand arm foot , trouble walking, brain fog, soft voice, could speak clearly, violent dreams

I’ve been taking same as russ 6 Butyrex twice daily , 1 niacin/day for 3 months now plus 1 madopar (levadopa) 250/2~3/day  for 2 months

I feel good – lost my brain fog, talk clearly,can participate in conversation, got energy and balance, can walk without stumbling, can play tennis , can tie my fishing line almost feel normal again

I take bioceutical 2 adrenoplex /twice daily , 1mthf/day, 1zinc sustain/ day for 2 years this got rid of the crazy violent dreams and cramps and got my taste back

I lost 20kg, healthy BMI

I also do wim hof breathing daily , cold showers daily, ice bath 2~3/wk

I take tea spoon prebiotics 2/day, 1 Probiotic/day. No more constipation

[Beth T Browne]

Hi Murray. Just read your May note and you are the only person I have heard lost their taste. I just lost mine last month, so I am very interested in how you got it back. I was just diagnosed in July of this year, but may have had PD last year, as I had sleep loss, and my right hand was shaking a lot. Anyway, I have never heard of Butyric acid supplements. I know of Niacin. I have heredity high cholesterol. I have always been petite, eat hardly any meat, etc. We tried taking me off of it, but no luck. Anyway right now, I really need to eat due to weight lost when I could not handle the Dopa/Levododpa 25/100. PD doc has me on 15% Dopamine. 2 in the am and 1 at lunch. It made me very dizzy when I took the 3rd one a night. She hopes I can eventually handle the prescription. This taste loss is not good, as I don’t have much desire to eat, and I can’t lose much more weight, even tho I am petite. I wonder why I have not been told about the Butyric Acid supplements. I take calcium as I also have osteoporosis, and I take Magnesium. I don’t have bad dreams, but sleep is a problem. My balance is not bad, but not good. I controlled constipation eating 2 prunes a day and drinking 1/2 bottle of ensure in blender with coconut milk and collagen. I also started taking Juice Plus veggies and greens, as I don’t eat enough of those. I was first told when diagnosed that I was lacking Dopamine and there were no other problems w/my brain. But I also have brain fog, or maybe more as I have some short term memory also. She said I didn’t have dementia but what if I am headed that way. Anyway, right now, I just need to get my taste back. My smell is okay. So glad you are doing so well. This is an awful thing to live with. Beth

[Philippe Joly]

Thank you Russ and Murray for sharing details on butyric acid product quantity and quality. I could be interested to try again, but I have a question yet:

– I understand your dosage is quite higher than the manufacturer recommends. Do you have other information on maximum intake and have you noticed adverse side effects.

Thanks again for your contributions

Philippe

 

 

 

[Rob Stehlin]

Russ and Murray,

Have either of you tested to see why you are not producing butyrate?

[Russ Hudson]

Phillipe, the label on the container says serving size = six capsules, which I take twice a day.

Rob, nope I’ve never tested to see why I’m not producing butyrate. It’s most likely something which, in some people, declines with age.

[Murray Zipf]

Phillipe

no adverse side effects (Except for just about choking on a handful of pills)

I noticed improved bowel movement first which sort of tells me it’s not placebo effect

then slowly started noticing improvements in all symptoms

 

[Philippe Joly]

Thank you for your answers. They are comforting and I feel like trying again, which I will probably do around end of June, as I have a meeting with a new neurologist around mid June and I don’t want to complicate the picture of my symptoms before that. But I ‘ve already bought it, so here we are, and I will let you know for sure if anything good happens as you have been kind with your advice.I have read various articles which point the same way, but I have not been able to figure out how to copy the links yet for whoever is interested !

[Robert]

Hi Russ and Murray

I have started on the Butyrate but the recommended dosage is 2 capsules three times a day which equates to 6 capsules a day not the 12 you are taking.  Are the directions different on my Butyrate to yours or are you doubling up?  I am very keen to give Butyrate a realistic go.

 

[Murray Zipf]

Name- butyrex

serving size: 6 capsule

suggested use: 1-2 capsules with each meal

looks like we’re taking double the recommended dose

[Russ Hudson]

Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA). Fatty acids are the building blocks of fats that our cells need to function. Butyrate is made when the bacteria living in our guts ferment otherwise indigestible fibers from grains, beans, onions, bananas, and other foods rich in complex carbs.

Butyrate is the preferred energy source for the cells in your colon wall. It is essential for maintaining a healthy barrier between the colon and bloodstream and it prevents inflammation in the gut.

Proponents:
•Is a major energy source for colon cells
•Believed to help prevent colon cancer
•Increases mitochondrial activity
•Prevents toxins from crossing the gut barrier
•Improves insulin sensitivity
•Promotes healthy weight
•Fight inflammation
•Prevents the growth of pathogenic bacteria
•Protects the brain

Skeptics:
•Strong odor
•Lack of high-quality human research
•Difficult to separate butyrate from other short-chain fatty acids

1) Gut Health

Butyrate is essential for maintaining a healthy environment in the gut. In the human colon, anaerobic bacteria such as Clostridium butyricum, Roseburia intestinalis, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii ferment carbohydrates and produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs): acetate, propionate, and butyrate [3, 10, 11].

Colon Cell Energy Source

Butyrate nourishes the colon wall, maintains a healthy lining and barrier function of the colon, and prevents intestinal inflammation [4].

In the mitochondria of colon cells, 70-90% of butyrate is oxidized into acetyl-CoA, which is then used to generate large quantities of ATP, the primary form of cellular energy [12].

If you don’t have enough butyrate-producing bacteria in your gut, you may be more likely to develop diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and even colon cancer [13, 14, 15, 16, 17].

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Short-chain fatty acids, especially butyrate, can reduce the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In one study of 13 people with Crohn’s disease, a type of IBD, butyrate supplements improved 69% of cases, with symptoms completely disappearing in 54% (seven participants) [18, 19, 20, 21].

There are a variety of approaches for using butyrate to manage IBD and colitis. The treatment strategies range from a high-fiber diet to butyrate-producing probiotics, coated butyrate tablets, and rectal enemas [22, 23].

Diarrhea & Gut Inflammation

Resistant starch is a type of soluble fiber that your gut bacteria can ferment into butyrate. A diet containing lots of resistant starch improved diarrhea in a trial of 57 baby boys [24].

Butyrate can also prevent inflammation and stomach ulcers caused by alcohol. Mice given butyrate before alcohol had less inflammation and damage to the lining of their stomachs [25].

Sodium butyrate in combination with other SCFAs and silicon dioxide was also shown to benefit traveler’s diarrhea, a condition common among those who travel to exotic countries [26].

According to a great many studies, butyrate is vital for healthy gut flora, controlling inflammation, and maintaining a strong intestinal barrier.

2) Inflammation

Butyrate suppresses the activity of cells and proteins that drive inflammation [27].

In one study on human cells, butyrate drastically reduced the activity of interleukin-12 (IL-12), an inflammatory cytokine, while increasing interleukin-10 (IL-10), which is generally anti-inflammatory [28].

In mice, butyrate-producing dietary fibers counteracted inflammation and illness caused by bacterial toxins. The inflammatory cytokines inhibited by butyrate included interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interferon gamma (INF-y) [29].

Immune Response

Butyrate may reduce inflammation by increasing the activity of immune cells called regulatory T cells or Tregs. These specialized cells stop other immune cells – Th1, Th2, and Th17 – in their tracks, before they lose control. In turn, Tregs prevent the lining of the gut from overreacting to harmless food proteins [30].

Gut Barrier

Butyrate also strengthens the barrier formed by cells in the colon wall, thus preventing microbes and bacterial toxins from invading the bloodstream [31].

Inflammation Due to Aging

As we grow older, inflammation increases throughout our bodies. In aging mice, a diet high in fiber that produces butyrate counteracted age-related increases in inflammation, suggesting that butyrate may be especially helpful to the elderly. Human studies will be required to confirm this benefit, however [32].

Animal and cell studies show that butyrate inhibits inflammatory cytokines and prevents inflammatory bacterial toxins from entering the bloodstream.

3) Fine-Tuning the Immune System

As an HDAC inhibitor, butyrate adjusts the immune system in a number of ways.

HDAC inhibitors improve the tumor-targeting abilities of immune cells like T cells and natural killer cells; they are currently under investigation as potential cancer drugs. This class of compounds also reduces many inflammatory signals and increases Tregs, a type of white blood cell that prevents allergies and autoimmunity [33, 34, 35].

Butyrate more specifically protects the gut barrier and prevents pathogens and other harmful agents from crossing into the bloodstream [36].

4) Brain and Nerve Cells

The gut and the microbiome strongly affect the brain. Your gut bacteria “talk” to your cells by releasing butyrate, which (as an HDAC inhibitor) turns on certain genes [37].

Cognition

Butyrate may improve learning and long-term memory. Similar to exercise, sodium butyrate increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in mice. Simply put, butyrate supplies “brain food” (neuro = brain, trophic = food) to the hippocampus, the brain’s hub for memory and emotions. This gives birth to new neurons, called neurogenesis, a process that can reshape the brain [38].

The effect of butyrate supplements or intestinal butyrate concentration on cognition has not been tested in humans. However, this effect has been repeated multiple times in animals, and probiotics containing butyrate-producing bacteria have been associated with reduced stress in humans. Human trials on butyrate and cognition are likely to be next [39, 40, 32, 41].

Brain Injury

There’s a huge overlap between cognitive enhancement and recovery from brain damage. Both rely on neurogenesis, a process that replenishes and reshapes the brain.

In a mouse study, sodium butyrate given after a stroke supported the development of new nerve cells in the damaged areas. It also strengthened the blood-brain barrier in mice with brain trauma, which helped them recover. Butyrate-producing bacteria also strengthened this barrier in mice [42, 43, 44].

Clostridium butyricum, a butyrate-producing species of bacteria, may help manage vascular dementia, a disease whereby blood vessel blockages prevent brain cells from getting enough oxygen. In a mouse study, animals with C. butyricum in the gut experienced less cell death in their brains [45].

These effects have not yet been investigated in human trials.

Nerve Damage

Butyrate may also help manage other types of nerve damage. In guinea pigs, sodium butyrate protected nerve cells in the ear after treatment with antibiotics, thus preventing hearing loss [46].

Mice with brain damage due to lack of oxygen fared better when they were given the butyrate-producing bacteria Clostridium butyricum before the injury [47].

Sodium butyrate also prevented the death of nerve cells in the spine of mice with spinal muscular atrophy [48].

Animal studies show that butyrate is neuroprotective and may improve memory and reduce the impact of brain trauma. Human trials will be needed to confirm these effects.

Food Sources

You get can butyrate from food. For example, butyric acid abounds dairy products, especially butter. Butter, which gave butyrate its name, contains about 3 to 4% of butyrate in the form of tributyrin. Plant oils also contain butyrate to some extent [115, 116, 117].

Eating more fiber increases butyrate production by some bacteria in your gut. There is generally an association between a higher intake of plant foods and increased levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including butyrate, in stools. However, not all plant-based foods yield butyrate; for example, diets rich in fruit or starch are associated with high butyrate levels in the gut, but starch-free wheat bran is not [118, 119, 120, 121].

Depending on the composition of your gut flora, the following fibers may encourage them to produce SFCAs, including butyrate [122, 123, 124]:
•Inulin: artichokes, garlic, leeks, onions, and asparagus
•Fructooligosaccharides (FOS): fruits and vegetables, including bananas, onions, garlic, and asparagus
•Resistant starch: cooked and cooled rice, potatoes and green bananas
•Pectin: apples, apricots, carrots, oranges, and others
•Oat bran
•Arabinoxylan
•Guar gum
•Arabinogalactan
•Hi-Maize, potato or plantain starch flours

[Christina]

Russ, Thank you for all of that information.  That was very time consuming I’m sure.  I am grateful for your research.  I previously inquired about this and I don’t mean to be a pest about it but I do wonder if you know about Magnesium L-Threonate and if you have an opinion on that?  I have found that MCT oil is helping me.

The more proactive we all are with researching and trying different methods the better!  Together we can make some difference in discovering how to help ourselves!

 

[Gail Dons]

Someone nentioned articles by the “Miracle’ yahoos as well as publications by respectable journals. Can you list any of these – I’d really like to read them. Also, do you have a bibliography for the extensive, and quite helpful summary of information you have provided us here?

[Russ Hudson]

I buy Butyrex® by T.E.Neesby online. It says the serving size is six capsules. I immediately started feeling better when I started in Sep 2018.

[Terry Sullivan]

I bought the Butyrex complex by T.E. Neesby and the label does say “Serving Size:  6 capsules,” but it also says “Suggested Use: 1-2 capsules with each meal.” So, Russ, you’re taking twice the suggested daily dose. Did you ever try just six capsules a day?

I just started taking this today. My Parkinson’s has greatly affected my balance, but so far I’ve had no trembling.

 

[samantha]

I have read that “There are 3 forms of vitamin B3 — niacin (also known as nicotinic acid), nicotinamide, and nicotinamide riboside. All 3 are related and used by the body in the same way. As the body cannot store this vitamin, having a healthy diet that contains adequate vitamin B3 is essential. Fortunately, it is found in many different foods including turkey, tuna, cereal, mushrooms and peanuts. While much of the previous research into vitamin B3 in Parkinson’s has focused on the potential benefits of niacin, this research used the nicotinamide riboside form of vitamin B3. The new results suggest that this form of the vitamin may also have beneficial effects in Parkinson’s.” here are 3 forms of vitamin B3 — niacin  (also known as nicotinic acid, more on Canada Drugs Direct), nicotinamide, and nicotinamide riboside. All 3 are related and used by the body in the same way.

As the body cannot store this vitamin, having a healthy diet that contains adequate vitamin B3 is essential. Fortunately, it is found in many different foods including turkey, tuna, cereal, mushrooms and peanuts.

While much of the previous research into vitamin B3 in Parkinson’s has focused on the potential benefits of niacin, this research used the nicotinamide riboside form of vitamin B3. The new results suggest that this form of the vitamin may also have beneficial effects in Parkinson’s.