The role of short-chain fatty acids in health and disease

J Tan, C McKenzie, M Potamitis, AN Thorburn… - Advances in …, 2014 - Elsevier
There is now an abundance of evidence to show that short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) play an
important role in the maintenance of health and the development of disease. SCFAs are a
subset of fatty acids that are produced by the gut microbiota during the fermentation of
partially and nondigestible polysaccharides. The highest levels of SCFAs are found in the
proximal colon, where they are used locally by enterocytes or transported across the gut
epithelium into the bloodstream. Two major SCFA signaling mechanisms have been …