Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41683715›Full record

SynthesisInternational journal of molecular sciences2026

Butyrate-Producing Bacteria as a Keystone Species of the Gut Microbiome: A Systemic Review of Dietary Impact on Gut-Brain and Host Health.

Jacob L Snodgrass, Bisi T Velayudhan

Abstract readSystematic ReviewReview
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International journal of molecular sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Jacob L SnodgrassDepartment of Biology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA.ORCID 0009-0003-0360-0837
Bisi T VelayudhanDepartment of Biology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6315-6382

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The human gut microbiome is a complex ecosystem integral to host health, with butyrate-producing bacteria (BPB) playing a critical role in maintaining intestinal homeostasis. This scoping review explores the composition, function, and systemic influence of BPB, focusing on their metabolic product, butyrate, and its implications for gut integrity, immune modulation, and gut-brain axis (GBA) communication. Disruptions to BPB abundance, which is correlated with Western dietary patterns, food additives, and antibiotic exposure, are linked to gut dysbiosis and associated with a wide spectrum of chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), obesity, type 2 diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and psychiatric conditions. Butyrate supports colonocyte energy metabolism, reinforces epithelial barrier function, regulates goblet cell mucus production, and exerts anti-inflammatory effects via histone deacetylase inhibition and G-protein-coupled receptor signaling. The depletion of BPB and the resultant butyrate deficiency may represent a unifying pathophysiological mechanism underlying these conditions. Therapeutic strategies that restore BPB populations and butyrate levels, such as prebiotics, dietary fiber, and microbiota-targeted interventions, hold promise for mitigating inflammation and enhancing systemic health through microbiome modulation.

Indexed as

BacteriaBrainButyratesDietGastrointestinal MicrobiomeAnimalsDysbiosisHumansInflammatory Bowel DiseasesIntestinal Barrier FunctionPrebioticsButyratesPrebioticsbutyrate-producing bacteriagut–brain axisgut health

Identifiers

PMID41683715
PMCPMC12897970

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.