A. muciniphila supplementation may promote metabolic health

Oral supplementation with the gut commensal bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila safely improves several metabolic parameters in overweight or obese adults, as shown in a proof-of-concept study.

The study randomized 32 insulin-resistant adults with body mass index >25 kg/m²  to receive 10¹⁰ A. muciniphila either live (n=9) or pasteurized (n=12) or placebo (n=11) daily for 3 months. All participants had been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, defined as presenting at least three of the following criteria: fasting glycaemia >100 mg/dL; blood pressure ≥130/85 mm Hg or antihypertensive treatment; fasting triglyceridaemia ≥150 mg/dL; high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol <40 mg/dL for men and <50 mg/dL for women; and waist circumference >102 cm for men and >88 cm for women.

Compared with placebo, 3 months of daily oral supplementation of A. muciniphila bacteria produced a substantial increase in insulin sensitivity (mean, 28.62 percent; p=0.002) and reductions in insulinaemia (mean, −34.08 percent; p=0.006) and plasma total cholesterol (mean, −8.68 percent; p=0.02).

Furthermore, pasteurized A. muciniphila supplementation slightly decreased body weight (mean, −2.27 kg; p=0.091), fat mass (mean, −1.37 kg; p=0.092) and hip circumference (mean, −2.63 cm; p=0.091) from baseline.

Supplementation with A. muciniphila bacteria either live or pasteurized was safe and well tolerated. Gut microbiome composition at the end of the intervention was comparable across the intervention groups. There was no significant community-wide compositional change, suggesting that supplementation did not significantly modify the overall structure of the gut microbiome.

Meanwhile, there were reductions seen in levels of the relevant blood markers for liver dysfunction and inflammation in patients who received the microbiota supplement.

The present data demonstrate the feasibility of culturing and administering A. muciniphila to humans, as well as represent a promising start for the development of future clinical interventions to confirm and extend the safety and impact of supplementation in overweight or obese individuals with insulin resistance, according to researchers.