Diabetes and Gut Health: What is the Gut Microbiome-Diabetes Connection? background image
September 13, 2021

Diabetes and Gut Health: What is the Gut Microbiome-Diabetes Connection?

Dr. Thomas Wnorowski profile image

Dr. Thomas Wnorowski

PhD, CNCC, Clinical Nutrition Researcher & Biomedical Nutritionist

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For decades, diabetes has been treated within conventional medicine only when symptoms become overt and difficult to manage. At that stage, drugs like sulfonylureas and biguanides are used to lower blood sugar and increase insulin production, but of course, this only masks the root cause issue(s), often a sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical exercise, and an unhealthy diet. 

But there’s an even deeper issue related to these root cause factors: compromised gut health. Within the world of integrative and functional medicine, we are now realizing how interconnected gut health is to many of the most common chronic illnesses affecting Americans today, like cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes [1]. 

As it turns out, poor gut health––low microbiome diversity, a lack of health-promoting postbiotics, and a structurally compromised gut environment––is a gateway to these metabolic diseases and many others besides. So the question becomes, how can we support gut health to prevent, manage, and even potentially heal from these life-altering diseases? 

In this article, we’ll walk through the factors that lead to diabetes, the connection between diabetes and the microbiome, and managing diabetes by supporting gut health, including probiotic and postbiotic (butyrate) therapy. 

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes occurs when your pancreas can’t produce enough insulin––the hormone that transports glucose into our cells––to keep up with the high amount of glucose in your blood; this is what people mean when they say they have high blood sugar. Diabetes results in symptoms like:

  • Frequent urination, especially at night
  • Excessive hunger and thirst
  • Blurry vision
  • Fatigue
  • Frequent infections
  • Dry skin
  • Numb/tingling hands and feet.

As diabetes progresses, worsening symptoms like chronic kidney disease, damage to blood vessels and nerves, and diabetic ketoacidosis may require emergency services and continuous medical attention. 

What Factors Lead to Diabetes?

As you may know, there are two types of diabetes, 1 and 2. Type 1 diabetes is a little more serious in nature and we know less about what exactly causes it. But we have a clear picture of  type 2 diabetes as an illness brought about by poor diet and lifestyle habits, and probably some genetic and environmental contribution. 

Type 1 Diabetes Causes

Type 1 diabetes is thought to be an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the pancreas, destroying the beta cells that make insulin. Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 is thought to be more influenced by genetics and often manifests itself in childhood. It may be instigated by a threat to the immune system such as a virus that causes the immune system to become over-reactive and attack the body. 

Though type 1 diabetes is not directly caused by diet and lifestyle factors, it can be managed through similar dietary and lifestyle recommendations as type 2, in addition to supplementing insulin [4, 5]. 

Type 2 Diabetes Causes

Type 2 diabetes has a lot more inputs in terms of potential causes, but it can also be treated by taking steps to reverse those causes. Causes behind type 2 diabetes include: 

  • Obesity: Obesity or being overweight is thought to be one of the biggest predisposing factors to developing type 2 diabetes. Likely, this is due to a lack of physical exercise, chronically high stress, and eating the Standard American Diet. You can also develop type 2 diabetes without being overweight, however. 
  • Low-fiber, low-nutrient, high-sugar diet: The Standard American Diet is high in processed foods, industrial seed oils, and sugar, as well as low in fiber and nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and complete proteins. Research has shown that this diet contributes to the development of many chronic diseases [6]. 
  • Lack of exercise: Regular physical exercise helps the body use glucose as fuel, taking it out of the bloodstream. When we are not exercising regularly, glucose is more likely to build up in the blood and go unused, leading to insulin resistance [7, 8]. 
  • Oxidative stress: Oxidative stress develops when the body accumulates too many free radicals (a toxic byproduct) through normal cellular metabolic reactions as well as external inputs like pollution, medications, cigarette smoke, etc. Left unregulated, free radicals can tip the body towards disease and dysregulation [9]. 
  • Working night shift: Human beings are meant to sleep at night and be awake and active during daylight; when this pattern is thrown off, the body can easily become fatigued, dysregulated, and inflamed, leading to increased risk of chronic disease. 
  • Genetic factors: Genetics and epigenetics can certainly influence the development of type 2 diabetes, but they are not the end-all-be-all. It takes a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors to cause type 2 diabetes, and sometimes genetics may not play a role at all. 

All of these factors can lead to insulin resistance, making the liver less responsive to the hormone insulin. Without invention via diet and lifestyle change, type 2 diabetes will develop. 

Diabetes and the Microbiome

With all of these variables behind diabetes, how does the microbiome and the gut come into play?

Research shows that people with diabetes have lower levels of butyrate-producing bacteria [10]. Butyrate is a postbiotic short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) that supports healthy glucose levels, supports a healthy inflammation response, and helps to keep the microbiome balanced and running smoothly, among other benefits. Lower levels of these bacteria are likely due to low consumption of fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and resistant starches (prebiotics) that feed these bacteria, who in turn keep the gut environment healthy and functioning optimally. 

Without these healthy probiotics and the postbiotics they create for us, pathogens like candida and parasites can take over the gut, causing inflammation and compromising digestion. Once the body is inflamed, a number of conditions may develop from mood disorders to IBS to insulin resistance, which leads to diabetes. 

Supporting Diabetes Through Gut Health

Once we have established that microbiome health is closely linked to diabetes health outcomes, the next question is: how can we support the microbiome? Fortunately, there are several ways that people with diabetes can improve their gut health, starting with diet, probiotics, and butyrate.  

Diet for Diabetes

The foundational step for taking control of your health in any scenario is reevaluating your diet. While conventional medicine continues to recommend high-carb diets with processed foods and toxic vegetable oils for those with diabetes, functional and integrative medicine professionals are steering diabetic patients toward some different options. 

For many people, a modified Paleo diet that eliminates processed foods and glutinous grains in favor of whole fruits, vegetables, animal proteins and select carbs is a great place to start [11, 12]. Others may do well on a cyclical keto diet that dramatically reduces carbs and increases protein and healthy fats [13]. 

There is no one right diet for every person, and finding what works best for your body usually involves some trial and error (preferably alongside a trusted nutritionist or functional doctor).

Regardless, everyone can benefit from more whole (unprocessed, unrefined) foods on rotation in their daily meals. Not only do these foods offer more nutrients for your cells, but they also add more prebiotic fiber that feeds your microbiome, which goes on to produce butyrate and other beneficial SCFAs.

Some specific foods that can help feed both you and your microbiome include: 

  • Resistant starches: cooled potatoes and rice, plantains, beans, and oats all feed butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut
  • Coffee: high in antioxidants, supports the liver
  • Green tea: also high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory polyphenols
  • Olive oil, avocado, and other healthy fats: increase satiety and keep your energy high
  • Colorful produce like berries, spinach, peppers, sweet potatoes, etc. provide a range of micronutrients and antioxidants. 

Probiotics and Diabetes

Probiotics have been the star of the alternative health world for many years now, and the role of probiotics in treating diabetes is becoming an increasingly popular subject. 

A 2017 review on the role of probiotics in diabetes found that probiotics have been proven to lower fasting blood glucose and insulin levels in human trials [14]. Another meta-analysis of 32 randomized clinical trials published in 2020 showed that probiotics had significant positive effects on type 2 diabetes markers such as reducing total cholesterol, HbA1c, fasting insulin and plasma glucose, and blood pressure values [15]. 

Along with diet and lifestyle changes, probiotic supplementation could be a valuable tool for managing diabetes, but it’s not the only tool available to modulate the microbiome. 

Butyrate, a Posbiotic for Diabetes

An equally powerful, if not more powerful, therapeutic tool for improving the gut environment could be butyrate, the postbiotic SCFA that some of our probiotic strains produce to feed the gut lining and keep the microbiome balanced and happy. Over 5,000 research studies have shown that butyrate plays several important roles in the gut.

A 2019 study found that supplementing sodium butyrate improved liver glycogen metabolism in mice, lowering blood sugar [16]. Another study found that oral butyrate supplementation decreased blood HbA1c, inflammatory cytokines, and endotoxic lipopolysaccharides (LPS), while gut integrity was strengthened [17].* Butyrate may be effective in supporting gut health and a healthy microbial balance [18].* 

When taking a butyrate supplement as part of your diabetes support plan, you need a high-quality product you can trust. BodyBio Butyrate is free from fillers, additives, and all common allergens, just the butyrate that your gut lining and microbiome need for whole body health. 

Click here to learn more about the benefits of butyrate on gut health. 

Nurturing a Diabetic Gut

It seems that the more we learn about gut health, the clearer it becomes that a healthy microbiome and gut environment are integral to improving many different conditions, including diabetes. 

A diabetes or insulin resistance diagnosis does not have to be the downward spiral into disease that it has been for generations; it can be a wake-up call to live a less stressful lifestyle, prioritize your diet and nutrition, and refocus your efforts on microbiome health and gut integrity. Whether it’s through probiotic therapy, butyrate supplementation, increasing antioxidants, or likely some combination of modalities, you have the power to take charge of your health and wellbeing from the inside out.

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Ashley Palmer | 06.16.2026

Comprehensive Guide to Butyrate: What it is, Benefits, Side Effects, & More

Butyrate is a necessary component to a balanced microbiome, also working as an inflammation guard*. One of several, short-chain fatty acids created from fermented resistant starches, low butyrate levels have been associated with serious health concerns.

Butyrate and IBS: What Your Gut Cells Actually Need
Ashley Palmer | 04.24.2026

Butyrate and IBS: What Your Gut Cells Actually Need

You've tried the probiotics. You've cleaned up your diet. You're doing everything you're supposed to do, and your gut still isn't cooperating.

If you have IBS, that frustration is familiar. Bloating, urgency, unpredictable mornings, the constant guessing game of what's going to set things off.

What often gets missed in the conversation around IBS isn't a trendy new supplement or a stricter elimination diet. It's something more foundational: what your gut's own cells actually need to function.

Here's a closer look at what butyrate does, why IBS and low butyrate levels are closely linked, and how supporting the gut at the cellular level can make a difference.

Table of Contents:

  • Understanding Butyrate

  • How Butyrate Works in the Gut

  • Why This Becomes an Issue for People With IBS

  • Supporting the Body More Effectively

  • Butyrate, IBS, and the Cellular Health Connection

  • How Butyrate Supports IBS Comfort Long-Term

Understanding Butyrate

Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) produced in the colon when beneficial gut bacteria ferment dietary fiber, specifically resistant starch. It belongs to a class of compounds called postbiotics, the functional byproducts of a healthy microbiome.

Unlike probiotics, which are living bacteria, butyrate is a metabolite. It's a compound your body puts to work directly at the cellular level. Understanding the difference between probiotics and postbiotics, like butyrate, is a useful shift you can make when thinking about gut health.

Why the Body Relies on Butyrate

Your colon is lined with specialized cells called colonocytes. These cells run almost entirely on butyrate, providing up to 90% of their energy needs.

When colonocytes have what they need, they do their job well. They maintain the integrity of the gut lining, regulate what passes into the bloodstream, support a healthy inflammatory response, and help keep gut motility on track. Without enough butyrate, the gut’s main source of energy, the gut simply can't do its job well.

How Butyrate Works in the Gut

Butyrate supports three interconnected systems in the gut: the gut lining, the immune environment, and gut motility.

The gut lining is just one cell layer thick. Butyrate fuels those cells and supports the tight junctions between them, the structural connections that keep the barrier intact and functioning.

At the immune level, butyrate helps the body maintain a balanced inflammatory response in the colon without triggering overactivation. And because it directly influences the rhythmic contractions that move contents through the digestive tract, it plays a meaningful role in the irregular patterns that so many people with IBS experience.

What Happens When Butyrate Levels Are Supported vs. Strained

When butyrate is available in adequate amounts, the gut lining stays resilient, motility is more regular, and digestive comfort improves, whether you have a diagnosis of IBS or not.

If butyrate levels fall short, the gut barrier may become less stable, motility can become unpredictable, and the colon's immune environment may shift. How pronounced these patterns are varies from person to person. Diet, stress, genetics, and microbiome composition all play a role in your body’s patterns too.

Why This Becomes an Issue for People With IBS

Modern Stressors on Butyrate Production

Butyrate is made by gut bacteria that ferment resistant starch, a type of fiber found in foods like cooked and cooled potatoes, legumes, and underripe bananas. The modern diet is low in these foods. That means many people simply aren't giving their gut bacteria the raw materials they need to produce adequate butyrate levels.

Antibiotic use, chronic stress, and certain medications can also reduce the population of butyrate-producing bacteria in the colon. Over time, that compounds the butyrate production gap.

Why Common Approaches Often Fall Short

Probiotics can be a valuable part of gut health support, but most probiotic strains are not butyrate-producing species. They can shift the microbiome, but they don't directly address the fuel shortage that many IBS-related symptoms may stem from.

Fiber-based approaches come with a similar challenge. In some people with IBS, increasing fermentable fiber can worsen bloating and gas before it helps, because a disrupted microbiome may not efficiently use that fiber to make butyrate.

Since butyrate works at the cellular level, the signs of low butyrate can overlap common IBS symptoms, which is part of why the connection between the two gets overlooked.

Supporting the Body More Effectively

Foundational Support for Butyrate Production

Diet is the first step to improving the body's natural butyrate production. Foods high in resistant starch give butyrate-producing bacteria what they need to function properly.

Foods that naturally support butyrate production include cooked and cooled rice, potatoes, and legumes. A steady intake of resistant starch over time does more for the microbiome than occasional high-fiber days followed by low-fiber ones.

Stress management and adequate sleep can also support a more stable gut environment. Chronic stress directly affects microbiome composition and motility through the gut-brain axis. 

When Targeted Butyrate Support Makes Sense

For people whose microbiome is disrupted or whose diet can't consistently provide enough resistant starch, direct butyrate supplementation is another option for long-term support.*

Supplemental butyrate delivers the short-chain fatty acid directly to the colon, where colonocytes can put it to use.* Clinical research has shown that sodium butyrate supplementation is associated with improvements in abdominal comfort and bowel regularity in people with IBS.

Sodium butyrate and calcium magnesium butyrate are both effective options, and the differences between which works best for your body often come down to your individual health history and mineral needs.*

Butyrate, IBS, and the Cellular Health Connection

IBS is complex, and its causes vary from person to person. But one consistent finding in the research is that people with IBS tend to have lower levels of butyrate-producing bacteria and overall reduced short-chain fatty acids in the gut. That points to a cellular resource problem as much as a microbiome problem.

When the cells lining the colon are undersupported, the entire digestive environment becomes less stable. Gut barrier function, motility, immune signaling, and communication along the gut-brain axis all depend on colonocytes having what they need to function.

Supporting the gut at the cellular level is not a replacement for other gut health practices (whole food probiotics, exercise, etc.). It’s the foundation that makes those practices more effective. When your cells are supported, the body functions more efficiently as a whole.

How Butyrate Supports IBS Comfort Long-Term

IBS can feel like a moving target, and the path toward better digestive comfort is rarely a straight line or a quick fix. Supporting your gut at the cellular level creates a more stable foundation, and that starts with making sure colonocytes have the fuel they need.*

Butyrate works best as part of a consistent approach that includes diet, lifestyle, and targeted support where needed. Progress tends to be gradual, and that's expected. It reflects the time it takes for the gut lining to strengthen and the microbiome to rebalance.

IBS makes a lot more sense when you know what the gut's cells actually need. And that clarity is often where real progress begins.

Support your gut at the cellular level with BodyBio Butyrate.*

How Sugar and Stress Impact Gut Health (and How to Support It During the Holidays)
Ashley Palmer | 11.25.2025

How Sugar and Stress Impact Gut Health (and How to Support It During the Holidays)

Between the office party appetizers, your aunt's famous cookies, and that second or third glass of wine at dinner, your gut is working overtime this holiday season. Add in travel stress, family dynamics, and back-to-back celebrations, and you've got the perfect storm for digestive chaos. Your microbiome gets thrown off balance, bloating kicks in, and suddenly, you're fighting to recover while the next event looms ahead on the calendar.

But you don't have to choose between enjoying the holidays and feeling good. A few simple habits and smart supplement support like butyrate can keep your gut balanced and your energy steady, even when you're indulging more than usual.*

Table of Contents:

  • How Sugar Disrupts Gut Health

  • The Stress-Gut Connection

  • Alcohol's Role in Gut Imbalance

  • Supporting Your Gut During the Holidays

  • Butyrate Q&A: Your Holiday Gut Support Ally

  • Keep Your Gut (and Holidays) Happy

How Sugar Disrupts Gut Health

Sugar is everywhere during the holidays, from dessert spreads to seasonal lattes. And while your taste buds are celebrating, your gut (and metabolism) is dealing with the consequences.

Refined Sugar and the Microbiome

When you're eating more holiday cookies and desserts than usual, certain bacteria in your gut that love simple carbohydrates start to flourish. This temporary shift can show up as stronger cravings, more bloating, or mood changes, which may help explain why you keep going back to the cookie tray.

When this imbalance sticks around, it can affect your gut barrier (the protective lining that keeps your gut contents where they belong). When that barrier gets compromised, bacterial byproducts (waste and toxins produced by bacteria) slip into your bloodstream and trigger inflammation throughout your body. Since at least 70-80% of your immune system lives in your gut, keeping this barrier strong is especially important during the holidays when you're more susceptible to seasonal bugs. 

This systemic inflammation can even show up as breakouts or dull skin, another reminder of how deeply your gut health affects your whole body.

Sugar Spikes and Cellular-Level Stress

Those cookie-fueled blood sugar rollercoasters don't just zap your energy. They create stress at the cellular level. Your mitochondria have to work overtime to manage these ups and downs. The oxidative stress that results from these swings doesn't stay in your gut. It affects your whole body, compounding the stress you're already feeling and making recovery that much harder.

The Stress-Gut Connection

Between travel logistics, family gatherings, and year-end deadlines, the holidays can send your cortisol levels soaring. That stress response directly impacts how your gut functions.

The Gut-Brain Axis in Action

Your gut and brain are in constant conversation through the gut-brain axis. When stress rises (from travel chaos, family dynamics, or that never-ending to-do list), your body pumps out cortisol to help your body handle it. Cortisol slows digestion and weakens your gut barrier, exactly when you need them working their best.

Holiday Stress + Sugar = A Rough Combination

When emotional stress meets dietary stress, the side effects can multiply quickly. This is why bloating, constipation, and relentless sugar cravings often show up together during the busiest weeks of the year. Your gut is working overtime to keep up.

Alcohol's Role in Gut Imbalance

Holiday cocktails and wine (or your beverage of choice) add another layer of stress to an already taxed digestive system, particularly when it comes to gut barrier integrity.

How Alcohol Affects the Gut Barrier

Alcohol increases gut permeability, making that protective barrier more porous, and feeds inflammation in your digestive tract. It also depletes beneficial compounds like butyrate that your gut needs to stay strong.

The Next-Day Domino Effect

Ever notice how after a night with just one or two cocktails, you sleep poorly, crave sugar like crazy, and feel more stressed the next day? Each of these factors puts more strain on your microbiome, creating a cycle that's tough to break when holiday parties stack up week after week.

But that doesn’t mean you have to abstain from the fun altogether to shield your gut from harm. You just need a plan to minimize the side effects. 

Supporting Your Gut During the Holidays

You can protect your gut without skipping the celebrations with just a few, simple, strategic habits that make all the difference.

Lifestyle Swaps

You don't need to overhaul your entire holiday routine. A few small shifts make a real difference:

Hydrate between drinks. No seriously, alternate a tall glass of water after each drink, preferably with added electrolytes. Water + key minerals help your body process both sugar and alcohol more efficiently.

Pair sweets with protein or healthy fats. A handful of nuts with that cookie, or hard cheese with your dessert, slows glucose absorption and prevents wild blood sugar spikes.

Move daily. Even a 15-minute walk after meals helps regulate stress hormones and gets your digestion moving. Get the whole family involved for more quality time together!

Eat butyrate-rich foods. Foods like butter, ghee, and aged cheeses naturally contain some butyrate, while fiber-rich foods like cooked and cooled oats, slightly underripe bananas, and legumes help your gut bacteria produce more of it.

Smart Supplement Support: Butyrate

Butyrate is a postbiotic (a beneficial compound that your good gut bacteria naturally produce) that supports your gut lining, reduces inflammation, and helps keep your microbiome balanced. It's the perfect holiday event partner for your gut.*

During the holidays, butyrate helps you:

  • Skip the bloat with no more uncomfortable gas after meals*

  • Digest rich foods without the heavy, sluggish feeling*

  • Balance blood sugar after dessert (high spikes → gentle hills)*

  • Recover faster between celebrations by strengthening your gut barrier*

Butyrate is flexible. You can take it with or without food, and dose up or down based on your needs (up to six capsules per day). Already taking a probiotic that works for you? Butyrate works alongside it (more on that below).

Butyrate Q&A: Your Holiday Gut Support Ally

Q: Can I take butyrate with or without food?
A: Either way works. Take it however feels best for you. Some people prefer it with meals, others between. The most important thing is to stay consistent for gut protection.

Q: Is butyrate the same as a probiotic?
A: No, it's a postbiotic! Probiotics add beneficial bacteria to your gut. Butyrate is what healthy bacteria produce to keep your gut lining healthy and reduce inflammation.*

Q: Can I take butyrate with probiotics?
A: Absolutely. Probiotics repopulate the good bacteria, while butyrate strengthens the environment they need to thrive. They work well together. If probiotics are giving you some beneficial results but not all, butyrate can help bridge the gap.* 

Keep Your Gut (and Holidays) Happy

Sugar, stress, and alcohol are part of the holiday package, and that's okay (in moderation of course). They don't have to derail how you feel or leave you fighting to bounce back.

Your gut doesn't need perfection; it simply needs nutrition, hydration, movement, and smart support when things get hectic. Butyrate is the perfect holiday event partner to support your gut microbiome and gut lining through every celebration, so you can enjoy the season without total gut and metabolic disruption.

When sugar, stress, and alcohol impact your gut this season, support your microbiome with BodyBio Butyrate.*