We read with interest the article by Facchin et al, 1 who showed that oral sodium butyrate supplementation increased levels of bacteria able to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including butyrate, in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD). These findings suggested that a decrease in the genetic butyrate-producing capacity of the gut microbiome is a primary determinant of IBD-associated dysbiosis, and BCoAT gene content may be considered a potential biomarker of IBD.[Extracted from the article]

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