Eat Butter for Gut Health? | What the Fitness | Biolayne

Norton contrasts this with butter, which contains preformed butyric acid but at a low concentration (3–4% by weight) and high caloric cost. He emphasizes that the gut microbiome's production of butyrate from fiber is far more significant and calorie-efficient. He also points out that Gundry's anti-lectin stance discourages consumption of many high-fiber foods, which is counterproductive for gut health.

Norton provides the actual etymology: from Greek 'bous' (cow) and 'tyros' (cheese), literally 'cow cheese.' He points out that ancient Greeks had no knowledge of butyric acid, making Gundry's claim historically impossible. Norton suggests this is part of a pattern where Gundry uses false premises to sell dietary advice, and questions whether such errors are accidental or intentional.

Norton calculates that 100 g of butter (700 kcal) contains only 3–4 g of butyric acid. In contrast, increasing daily fiber intake from 15 g to 30–40 g (an extra ~80 kcal) boosts gut bacterial butyrate production from ~5 g to 9–11 g per day—a net gain of ~5 g. Thus, per calorie, fiber provides about 10 times more butyrate. He notes that Gundry discourages high-fiber foods like tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers due to lectins, which undermines gut health. Norton argues this reveals Gundry's contrarian marketing strategy: telling people what they want to hear (eat butter) while ignoring established science.