Akkermansia muciniphila: A Beneficial Gut Bacterium with Metabolic Health Benefits
Akkermansia muciniphila is a mucin-degrading gut bacterium that resides in the intestinal mucus layer and plays a crucial role in maintaining gut barrier integrity, reducing inflammation, and protecting against obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic disorders. 1
What is Akkermansia muciniphila?
A. muciniphila is a beneficial bacterium commonly found in the human gastrointestinal tract that degrades mucin in the intestinal mucus layer and plays a significant role in gut barrier maintenance and immune regulation 2
Higher abundance of A. muciniphila is associated with better metabolic health, while lower levels are found in individuals with obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular disease 1, 3
The bacterium helps maintain gut health through reduction of systemic inflammation, improvement of gut barrier function, and reduction of intestinal permeability 1
Metabolic and Therapeutic Benefits
A. muciniphila supplementation significantly reduces endotoxemia and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in obese and type 2 diabetic patients 1
Pasteurized A. muciniphila has shown stronger clinical benefits than live bacteria in human studies, with significant reduction in liver enzymes such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) 1
The bacterium improves glucose management, reduces body fat, and decreases inflammation in individuals with metabolic disorders 2
A. muciniphila abundance is notably diminished in obesity, type 2 diabetes, NAFLD, cardiometabolic diseases, and low-grade inflammation, with an inverse relationship observed between A. muciniphila levels, body weight, and insulin sensitivity 3
How to Promote A. muciniphila Growth
Dietary Interventions
Polyphenol consumption, particularly green tea polyphenols, is an effective strategy to increase A. muciniphila abundance in the gut 1
Consume fermentable soluble fibers such as fructooligosaccharides and inulin to promote A. muciniphila growth 4
Follow plant-based diets rich in fruits and vegetables while avoiding Western dietary patterns 1
Dietary fibers interact with gut microbiota and may reduce inflammation and unfavorable metabolic responses 4
Pharmaceutical Interventions
Metformin, commonly used in diabetes treatment, increases A. muciniphila abundance, which may contribute to its therapeutic efficacy 1, 4
Antidiabetic drugs have been shown to be associated with increased A. muciniphila relative abundance 3
Lifestyle Factors
Exercise and physical activity are associated with higher levels of A. muciniphila, with athletes tending to have greater abundance compared to non-athletes 1
A. muciniphila abundance is significantly higher in subjects who show metabolic improvements following exercise interventions 1
Clinical Considerations
While A. muciniphila shows promise as a therapeutic agent, most current research relies on animal models with limited human interventional studies available 2
Some contrary findings exist in type 2 diabetes mellitus and neurodegenerative diseases, where increased A. muciniphila abundance may aggravate disease progression 5
A. muciniphila is expected to become a new probiotic in addition to Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, with commercial products and possible probiotic formulations under development 6