Akkermansia: Next-Generation Probiotic
Over the past decade, advances in our understanding of the human body have revealed that our microbiome, which includes the gastrointestinal system, is far more complex than we ever imagined.
Once thought of only as a long tube that mixed, digested, extracted calories and nutrients, and excreted waste, science has now come full circle and realized what Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, once said: “All disease begins in the gut.”
The vast microbiome, which our entire existence rests on, is filled with bacteria, fungi, and viruses. An optimum balance of these microbes keeps us healthy and protects against diseases and illness.
If any part of the microbiome is disrupted, health suffers.
When key players in fighting and keeping pathogens at bay are reduced or eliminated, allowing disease to set in. From the pH of your stomach to the complex components of the small and large intestine, each part has its unique job to fulfill. (1)
From gut-associated lymphatic tissue, which includes Peyer’s patches and the appendix (which house most of our immune system), to the delicate microvilli (which capture and absorb food through the microcapillaries housed within them), our understanding of the importance of preserving gut health is in its infancy.
Cross-section of small intestine with microvilli and blood supply: Akkermansia protects and promotes healthy mucus production, which protects the delicate microvilli that house the capillaries that take in nutrients. It also strengthens the junctions between the epithelial cells, thereby reducing inflammation and aiding in preventing leaky gut.
Meet Akkermansia muciniphila
One interesting microbe that has garnered a lot of attention recently is Akkermansia muciniphila.
Considered a next-generation probiotic (NGP), Akkermansia muciniphila is not a probiotic in the sense of its direct effect on health. Instead, it protects and maintains the intestinal epithelial wall. This oval-shaped, non-mobile, gram-negative, strictly anaerobic bacterium can survive in some of the harshest environments. (2)
Akkermansia has the unique ability to consume old mucus and stimulate new mucus production. The mucus layer that lines the intestine is the first line of defense against pathogenic microorganisms.
When the intestinal mucus lining is compromised, it creates an environment where harmful microbes, inflammation, and damage to the gut barrier can develop — ultimately contributing to leaky gut, a potential trigger for certain autoimmune conditions. (3)
- Regulates lipid metabolism: Shown to reduce abdominal fat in mice within three weeks of supplementation. (4)
- Alleviates chronic inflammation: May help lower risk of neurodegenerative diseases, osteoporosis, and chronic kidney disease. (4)
- Supports gluten tolerance: Helps downregulate inflammatory markers and protect the gut from gluten peptides. (5)
- Prevents jawbone loss: Protected mice from gingivitis-related alveolar bone damage in studies. (5)
- Reduces liver fibrosis: Lowered inflammation markers in both live and pasteurized forms after four weeks. (5)
Science is starting to catch up to what our ancient ancestors knew all along. Take care of your gut, and it will take care of you.
References
2. Luo, Y., Lan, C., Li, H., Ouyang, Q., Kong, F., Wang, P., Qian, Z., Liu, H., Wu, Y., Yin, J., Zhang, P., Tang, L., Yin, Y., & Chai, T. (2022). Rational consideration of Akkermansia muciniphila targeting for the treatment of human diseases. NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes, 8(1), 81. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-022-00338-4
3. Song, C., Chai, Z., Chen, S. et al. Intestinal mucus components and secretion mechanisms: what we do and do not know. Exp Mol Med 55, 681–691 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-023-00960-y
4. Zebiao Liu, Mingquan Chen, Wanhua Zheng, Xuebing Zhan, Wenyan Sui, Haijie Huang, Qingjiu Jiang, Wenli Zhao,Effect of gut symbiotic bacteria Akkermansia muciniphila on aging-related obesity,Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications,Volume 756,2025,151606,ISSN 000691X,.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006291X25003201)
5. Molaaghaee-Rouzbahani, S., Asri, N., Sapone, A. et al. Akkermansia muciniphila exerts immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects on gliadin-stimulated THP-1 derived macrophages. Sci Rep 13, 3237 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30266-y
Written by Brooke Lounsbury
