ReviewCureus2025
Fecal Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) and Their Role in Metabolic Disorders: A Systematic Review.
Review in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Changes in short-chain fatty acids across the glycemic spectrum: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- The neuroimmune network in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases: from mechanistic insights to biomarker-guided immunotherapies and clinical translation.Inflammopharmacology · 2026Review
- Review
- Dose-Dependent Commercial Probiotic Intervention Modulates Gut Microbiota and Fecal Metabolome Associated with Improved Intestinal Function in a Loperamide-Induced Constipation Rat Model.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Article
- Network toxicology of perfluorooctanoic acid-induced hepatointestinal injury and the protective effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides against perfluorooctanoic acid in broilers.Poultry science · 2026Article
- Gut Microbiome-Hormone Interactions and Precision Fermentation in the Prevention of Early Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Microbiota-Derived SCFAs Mediate the Synergistic Antidepressant Effects of Dajianzhong Decoction and Ketamine via FFAR2-NLRP3-IL-1β Signaling.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Dietary Capsiate-Producing Chili Pepper Promotes Somatic and Femoral Growth and Modulates Intestinal Immunometabolic Responses in Mice.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Structurally distinct yeast-derived β-glucans modulate intestinal morphology and microbial metabolism in broiler chickens differentially.Poultry science · 2026Article
- Valorization of Mango By-Products: Bioactive Potential of Peel and Seeds and Their In Vitro Bioavailability.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Gut microbiota-derived metabolites in cardiovascular disease: mechanisms, disease-specific roles, and translational opportunities.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Review
- Pathogenic mechanisms and comprehensive therapeutic strategies of ovarian aging: targeting gut microbiota.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
- The gut and circulating virome: emerging players in aging and longevity.Frontiers in aging · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate, are gut microbial metabolites that influence energy balance, glucose regulation, lipid metabolism, and inflammation. Altered SCFA production has been associated with metabolic disorders, including obesity and type 2 diabetes, but its role remains unclear. This systematic review synthesized evidence from human studies assessing fecal SCFA concentrations and metabolic outcomes. A literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library (up to June 2025) was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. Of 94 records identified, seven studies met the inclusion criteria, including cross-sectional and interventional designs. A total of 1650 participants, excluding meta-analysis, have been compared. Elevated fecal SCFA levels were frequently associated with increased adiposity, inflammation, and gut microbiota dysbiosis, while targeted SCFA supplementation, particularly with propionate or butyrate, improved insulin sensitivity and reduced energy intake. Risk of bias was generally moderate due to small sample sizes and variability in SCFA measurement methods. Overall, fecal SCFAs appear to act as both biomarkers and modulators of metabolic health. Larger, standardized longitudinal studies are required to clarify their causal role and therapeutic potential in obesity, metabolic syndrome, and related conditions.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.