A recent study conducted at the University of Texas revealed that sodium butyrate, a compound related to those naturally produced by gut bacteria, reduced the total duration of epileptic seizures by up to 86% and decreased the number of seizures by about 70%.

Important Role of the Compound in Supporting Brain Health

The study, published in the scientific journal Experimental Neurology, explained that the treatment reduced inflammation in the brain, preserved nerve cells, and aided physical recovery. Head injuries cause a series of chemical changes that abnormally increase brain activity, raising the likelihood of developing epilepsy.

The results showed that the treatment did not completely prevent epilepsy, as spontaneous seizures occurred in 75% of treated animal samples compared to 85% of untreated ones. It also did not change the timing of the first seizure, but the seizures became less frequent and shorter in duration, and the samples required stronger stimuli to induce a seizure by the end of the experiment.

The study confirmed that these results are still limited to animal experiments, as high doses of sodium butyrate were used that cannot be obtained through food or dietary supplements. Therefore, they cannot be applied to humans at this time.