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Short Chain Fatty Acids Informal Survey

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Posted 5/27/2024 2:28 PM (GMT 0)
I was just reading last night that borrelia don't like to grow in butyrate, they really hate propionate, but they like acetate. All three of these are short chain fatty acids that are produced by gut bacteria. They each have some benefits for the human body.

My son turned out not to have very many abnormalities show up on his comprehensive stool testing when he was around four and five years old, just before testing positive for Lyme at age five, but not yet diagnosed or treated. But the one abnormality that stood out the most was that he was low in butryate and propionate, while acetate was elevated.

For those who have done stool testing, I'm curious what the short chain fatty acid findings have been.

Butyrate helps stabilize mast cells and helps strengthen the gut barrier and the blood brain barrier. Plus borrelia don't like to grow in it! It crosses the blood brain barrier. It is used as fuel for mitochondria. Short chain fatty acids and medium chain fatty acids can be directly burned for energy by the cellular mitochondria. They don't require carnitine to be shuttled into to the electron transport chain. Long chain fatty acids can't be burned for fuel without being shuttled by carnitine.

No matter what he eats, over the years, my son consistently has findings that butyrate-producing bacteria (especially Faecalibacterium prausnitzii) are deficient. But I haven't re-tested since his parasite (Blastocystis hominis) got killed by Samento and Banderol. Research shows it profoundly affects the types of gut bacteria that can thrive in its presence and that it alters their genetic expression. (Need to recharge the HSA money, and more stool testing won't be the first priority, once more money is available.)

For those who have tested, are you low in butyrate? Is acetate the only short chain fatty acid that is normal, or is it maybe even elevated? What about propionate, which borrelia really hates? My son's gut bacteria made almost no propionate at all when his stool was tested at ages four and five.

Short-Chain Fatty Acids Alter Metabolic and Virulence Attributes of Borrelia burgdorferi

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6105876/pdf/e00217-18.pdf
Posted 5/27/2024 10:24 PM (GMT 0)
I’ve explored this a bit being I’ve done the IV PK protocol and have before and afters of that data from the neurolipid research foundation Dr. PK runs.

To my understanding the blood testing I had done is a bit different vs a stool test for those values. (Im foggy on all this). By the time I fixed most of my “major” GI complaints my GI tests were near perfect.

I’ll dig through my old values later. I think butyrate can be great for GI health. There’s also some great data around things like autism and breaking down those long chain fatty acids via butyrate. For Lyme I see it more as supportive vs curative/causitive.

I’d look into Dr. PK’s work.

You’ll see in older posts I’m actually not a huge fan of the PK protocol, but in this case might be worth looking into (particularly with doing the oral supplementation as the IV’s are a bit brutal).
Posted 5/27/2024 11:24 PM (GMT 0)
In 2019, I took the GI Effects Comprehensive stool test through Genova Diagnostics. All the data points you mentioned - total SCFAs, butyrate, propionate, and acetate - were right in the middle of the normal range - nothing low or high.

The actionable part of the stool test for me was extremely low levels of beneficial bacteria and high levels of pathogenic bacteria. Looking at the results today, I also see that my eosinophil protein X was at the highest possible level, which should have clued someone in about MCAS years before I figured it out for myself!

So my experience probably isn't helpful in terms of the biomarkers you're exploring!
Posted 5/28/2024 12:52 PM (GMT 0)
The PK protocol is a fascinating one. And too expensive for most people. I looked into the PK protocol years ago. It was very interesting to read the story of the doctor recovering her grandson from autism using the IV phosphatidylcholine. Before I knew my son had Lyme, I tried to improve speech using high doses of oral phosphatidylcholine, along with fish oil and vitamin E.

I agree short chain fatty acids balance is just one more data point that could help support the terrain of the body to make it less hospitable to the unwelcome microbial guests.
Posted 5/28/2024 1:13 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you saraeli. I'm open to hearing evidence either way. I'm sure there are so many variables going on that can allow the microbes to get the upper hand over the host's immune system. The short chain fatty acid balance is just one more of many possible data points to look at.

I agree that your biomarker for eosinophils should have been followed up on by the doctor!
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