If you deal with tummy issues, you’re probably curious whether or not probiotic supplements can help. These “good” microorganisms are known help rebalance the gut microbiome while supporting digestion and immunity, per the National Institutes of Health (NIH). But what are you supposed to take from the sea of supplements currently available?
Your large intestine is actual home to thousands of species of bacteria. All of them have different roles to help your body function and protect you from disease, however there is one that is a relatively unrecognised powerhouse probiotic: Akkermansia Muciniphila.
First identified in 2004, Akkermansia muciniphila is a species of bacteria that helps to maintain our gut lining and possesses many health benefits. You might not have heard of it before now, but A. muciniphila is mighty important.
“Akkermansia muciniphila is not found in the colon of people who are overweight. When you’re carrying too much weight, you don’t have the healthy bacteria that are feeding healthy chemicals into the body. There are many things we can do to improve gut-health, including following a healthy diet and taking good quality supplements that support gut health,” explains Dr Ross Walker.
Here’s everything you need to know.
This article is brought to you by Theronomic.
What is exactly is Akkermansia muciniphila?
Akkermansia muciniphila is a “cross feeder” probiotic. It consumes mucins and turns them into short-chain fatty acids, which are used to fuel other strains of healthy bacteria. The presence of Akkermansia muciniphila is associated with low inflammation, insulin regulation, and reduced symptoms of chronic illness.
Like most probiotics, Akkermansia muciniphila lives in the large intestine. Uniquely, though, it doesn’t eat fibre — and it doesn’t require any outside nourishment in order to thrive and reproduce. This is almost unheard of for gut bacteria.
Since Akkermansia muciniphila doesn’t rely on your fibre intake, it’s a lot easier to keep it alive. Even people who fast or stick to fat-heavy diets like keto will find that their levels of Akkermansia muciniphila remain stable.
What are the benefits?
While its name might be a mouthful, don’t be intimidated by Akkermansia muciniphila’s many syllables. What it lacks in easy pronunciation, it makes up for in amazing gut and immune system benefits:
- It acts as the gatekeeper to your gut: By protecting and strengthening your gut lining, Akkermansia helps to keep good bacteria in and bad bacteria out. A strong gut lining may make you less likely to develop gut dysbiosis and chronic illness over time.
- It prevents inflammation: Optimal levels of Akkermansia muciniphila usually mean less leaky gut. Therefore, less inflammation.
- It’s speculated to protect against illness. Scientists have studied Akkermansia muciniphila levels in healthy and sick people. The presence of this bacteria seems to be much more common in healthy people.
- It may manage glucose levels in the body. There still isn’t a lot of information on how Akkermansia muciniphila positively impacts type 2 diabetes — but the studies that have been done are promising. Especially for those who struggle with insulin resistance, supporting this bacteria could be a much-needed breakthrough.
- It can help prevent weight gain: Research has shown that low levels of Akkermansia are linked to poor metabolic health and obesity. By boosting Akkermansia in the gut, it can help with enhancing energy metabolism and fat breakdown, supporting a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI), suppressing appetite, and maintaining healthy blood sugar and lipid levels.
How can I increase my Akkermansia Muciniphila?
Your Akkermansia muciniphila levels should hover between at least 0.5% and at most 5% of your total gut bacteria. In healthy people, scientists typically see bacteria levels at about 4%.
Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of foods that directly contain Akkermansia muciniphila — and fibre isn’t as powerful of a solution as it is with other probiotics.
Still, there are some dietary steps you can take to naturally encourage the growth of Akkermansia and support your gut lining – one being a supplement like Theronomic’s Flora Reshape.
Flora Reshape harnesses the potency of Akkermansia muciniphila to enhance metabolic health and overall vitality. The supplement is the world’s first tribiotic to combine Akkermansia in clinical dosage with pre-, pro-, and postbiotics in one formula
Prebiotics feed good bacteria, probiotics introduce live cultures, and postbiotics provide extra overall support. This blend boosts digestion, enhances nutrient absorption, and strengthens immune function.
This article is brought to you by Theronomic.
