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Akkermansia for Weight Loss: Truth or Trend?

Written by Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC on November 19, 2024

Written by Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC on November 19, 2024 — Reviewed by Hilary Watts

• What is Akkermansia?|
• Akkermansia for Weight Loss|
• Research-Backed Weight Loss Strategies|
• Is It Worth It to Try Akkermansia?|

If you’ve been on social media, you’ve likely seen advertisements promoting the health and weight loss benefits of the probiotic, Akkermansia muciniphila. 

As a clinician and researcher, I’m always up for exploring any therapeutic that can help my clients improve their health, including losing weight (if that’s their goal). But after years and years of digging into research, I’ve learned that, more often than not, I’m disappointed when I fact-check claims about new supplements, tests, and products. 

We have a mountain of evidence on the vast array of benefits that probiotics have on our health. While I’m optimistic about what  research will find about Akkermansia, the data aren’t there yet to support its use as a stand-alone tool for managing body weight. 

Let’s get into the details on Akkermansia for weight loss and, more importantly, the tried and true weight loss strategies you may want to investigate before investing in it.

What is Akkermansia?

Before I get into why Akkermansia may work for weight loss, let me share some background on this probiotic.

Akkermansia muciniphila, often abbreviated as A. muciniphila, is a bacterial species found in both the small and large intestines of about 90% of healthy people 1. As its name implies, it loves mucus—mucin proteins are what make up the mucosal layer in the gut. 

A. muciniphila uniquely resides within the lining of the gut’s protective mucus layer, where it engages in cross-talk with the cells that line the intestines. 

Akkermansia typically shows up within the gut microbiota in the first year of a person’s life. An abundance of Akkermansia may be associated with better health because it helps increase the production of short-chain fatty acids and its numbers tend to decline as we get older 2.

Akkermansia’s prevalence among microorganisms in the gut is about 1–5%. For reference, let’s consider the concentrations of some other common probiotic strains in the gut 1:

• Lactobacillus species constitute about 6% of the small intestine and 0.3% of the large intestine.
• Bifidobacteria species account for 2–14% of adult gut microbes. 

Advertisements make Akkermansia seem like the only probiotic we need to support overall gut health, strengthen the small intestine barrier, and maintain a healthy weight.

Let’s get into the details on how Akkermansia might work and if the hype about its potential weight loss benefits withstands the scrutiny.

What’s the Mechanism Behind Akkermansia for Weight Loss?

Let me preface this by saying that much of the research on Akkermansia has been completed on animals (namely murine models). This doesn’t necessarily mean Akkermansia isn’t worth a closer look. It just means the research isn’t there yet to make solid claims about its benefits for humans. 

When it comes to weight management, Akkermansia muciniphila might provide its benefits in several ways 2 3:

• Suppressing appetite 
• Increasing insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance
• Lowering insulin resistance
• Improving gut barrier integrity

Appetite Suppression

Akkermansia muciniphila may help the body get better at controlling how much food to eat.

Research on obese mice suggests that Akkermansia has the potential to influence levels of hormones that are known to suppress appetite. Having higher levels of these hormones may lead to healthy appetite control—essentially, feeling fuller more quickly and for a longer period of time. That might add up to eating less and possible weight loss 2. 

Insulin Sensitivity and Glucose Tolerance

Akkermansia may improve how the body handles sugar since it can increase GLP-1. 

A hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) helps balance blood sugar by encouraging the secretion of insulin (which lowers blood sugar) and slowing the release of glucagon (which raises blood sugar) 2. 

A recent study of people with type 2 diabetes found that 3 months of diet, exercise, and taking a multi-strain probiotic that included Akkermansia led to a large drop in blood sugar after eating 3. Akkermansia can also help regulate blood sugar (glucose homeostasis) in mice with diet-induced obesity 2. 

Further research will reveal how effective Akkermansia is for improving glucose metabolism.

Gut Barrier Integrity

Akkermansia may support gut barrier function. 

The small intestine is likely the most important structure in the gastrointestinal tract. It regulates what should stay in the gut (and eventually leave the body as stool) and what should be absorbed into the bloodstream (i.e., nutrients). 

When the intestinal barrier is disrupted (often by microbial dysbiosis, or an imbalanced gut microbiota composition), toxins (like lipopolysaccharide), and undigested food particles can enter the circulation. This increased intestinal permeability, or leaky gut, stimulates the immune system to unleash a cascade of events that can increase inflammation. 

Leaky gut and higher levels of inflammation can impact how the body manages fat, making it tough to lose weight or stop gaining it 2. 

Researchers who fed mice a high-fat diet (HFD) found that Akkermansia supplements can reduce their fat mass (adipose tissue) and increase their levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines. This suggests Akkermansia has the potential to reduce inflammation and promote homeostasis (balance) 2.

Some evidence shows that Akkermansia might be helpful for weight loss. But, as previous studies on other probiotics have shown, no probiotic is a stand-alone strategy for weight loss 4 5.

This doesn’t mean we throw the baby out with the bathwater. It just means probiotics aren’t a great option for significant weight loss on their own—but they may be helpful as part of a comprehensive weight loss plan.

Research-Backed Weight Loss Strategies

We don’t have solid research that says taking the probiotic Akkermansia leads to weight loss. But if you’ve been taking Akkermansia and it’s working well for you, that’s great, and there’s no need to stop. 

If you’re just starting on your weight loss journey, I want to reassure you: There are effective, natural therapies that can help you achieve your goals. 

When it comes to weight loss strategies, a comprehensive plan that addresses diet, exercise, and lifestyle is probably the most effective option. I know it’s not exciting or flashy, and for some people it means a complete lifestyle change, but plenty of research shows the beneficial effects of these therapeutics for weight loss. 

Diet for Weight Loss

There’s no one-size-fits-all dietary pattern—the key is to find what works best for your body. 

Some people do better with fewer carbs and more protein and fat while others do well with more moderate carbohydrate consumption. Higher-protein diets (when protein is 15–25% of calories) may help with losing fat and weight by increasing the resting metabolic rate and muscle mass 6 7, but this is not true for low-protein diets (when protein is 5% of calories) 8. 

While we can’t say there’s one perfect diet for weight loss, there is one general rule that applies to us all—ultra-processed foods and excessive amounts of added sugars are linked to excessive weight, metabolic diseases, and other serious chronic diseases.

As an incentive to choose whole foods, research suggests that eating whole foods, as opposed to processed ones, significantly increases the calories you burn during digestion 9.

When you’re trying to determine which long-term dietary pattern is right for you, high-quality research  has shown the following whole-foods diets can contribute to significant weight loss, especially when paired with regular exercise:

• Paleo diet 10
• Ketogenic diet 11
• Mediterranean diet 12

Both a ketogenic diet 13 and a diet rich in polyphenols and prebiotics 14 can naturally increase your levels of Akkermansia. 

If you’re interested in a more tailored meal plan, I recommend working with a registered dietitian or certified nutrition specialist.

In addition to dietary patterns, it may help to avoid eating small, frequent meals or grazing. This habit may encourage weight gain and more fat around the belly and in the liver when compared to eating fewer, larger meals 8. 

In contrast, eating 2–3 larger meals each day may increase the calories burned during digestion 9. Additionally, layering in some intermittent fasting may aid in weight loss efforts 15.

Exercise for Weight Loss

Exercise is good for gut health and should be a foundational component of any weight loss plan. 

Resistance training (about 3 days per week) helps build and maintain muscle mass, which can increase the resting metabolic rate and burn more calories overall 16 17. 

Moderate-to-high intensity exercise (cardiovascular or a combination of cardio and strength) may improve the health of our gut bacteria, which can positively impact metabolism 18 19 20.

When I have clients who are new to exercise, I encourage them to start off by walking as much and as often as they can 21. Once they set that foundation, I encourage them to experiment with resistance training and other forms of cardiovascular exercise that can support their weight loss efforts. 

If possible, working with an exercise professional is a great way to learn what works best for your body. 

Additional Weight Loss Strategies

Diet and exercise are foundational for weight loss, but lifestyle changes are equally important. Let’s talk about some other simple strategies to focus on in addition to food and movement.

Restful Sleep

A lack of quality sleep can contribute to many health conditions, including metabolic disorders (like heart disease, obesity, abnormal cholesterol, high triglycerides, or full-blown metabolic syndrome), poor brain function, and fatigue 22. 

Following a healthy sleep schedule is a vitally important kind of self-care. Here’s a quick summary of research-backed options for improving sleep:

• Set a bedtime routine and a consistent bedtime and waking time. Avoid all-nighters and shift work if possible. 
• Try to eat dinner at least two hours before bedtime.
• Avoid bright lights and screen use for at least two hours before bed 23.
• Modify your bedroom environment (temperature, lights, sounds) to support good sleep 24.
• Address breathing problems, like mouth breathing, snoring, sleep apnea, or allergies with a medical professional.
• Exercise regularly, but avoid vigorous exercise close to bedtime 25.

Stress Management

Stress impacts our energy by affecting memory and learning, digestion, heart health, sleep, immune function, and hormones 26. Unmanaged stress puts us at risk of leaky gut and increased inflammation, which can contribute to weight gain 27. 

Practicing mindfulness meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises, and time in nature can help to normalize our stress response, reduce inflammation, and keep the gut healthy 28. 

Red Light Therapy and Cold Exposure

While not foundational therapies for weight loss, red light therapy and cold exposure may be helpful when added to a comprehensive weight loss plan. 

Red light therapy aims to boost lipid metabolism (fat burning) using low-level red light to enact the modulation of key metabolites (food-breakdown products). This may promote fat breakdown and enhance overall metabolic function.

While red light therapy may help to reduce body fat and change your body composition, it may only contribute minimally to weight loss 29.

Cold exposure is similar in that it may increase metabolism during rest and after exercise. Cold exposure may also activate brown fat 30, which can break down sugar and fat molecules 31.

Is It Worth It to Try Akkermansia?

With current research, it’s too early to draw any firm conclusions about the effects of Akkermansia on human health. But whether or not you try Akkermansia for weight loss is totally up to you. It does seem to be safe in the short term, but we don’t have any long-term safety studies yet, and we don’t have any firm direction on the amount to take for a clinical benefit.

The intestinal microbiota is complex and can’t be micromanaged or simplified to the actions of a single microbial strain. While Akkermansia is an interesting focus of research, claims about it aren’t supported by evidence yet. 

If you want to give probiotics a try for gut health support that may aid a little in weight loss, I recommend a triple therapy probiotic approach to my clients. 

In triple therapy, we use three different categories of probiotics (Lactobacillus/Bifidobacteria blend, Saccharomyces boulardii, and soil-based) together for 2–3 months.

Stick with the Foundations for Weight Loss

I’m not saying we always need to have tons of research before we try a new therapy. But in the case of Akkermansia for weight loss, the evidence so far is underwhelming, at least as a stand-alone therapy. 

Fortunately, we have tried and true weight loss solutions. A whole-foods dietary pattern and exercise are effective foundational strategies, and optimizing sleep and managing stress can support weight loss.  

Whatever you decide, it’s crucial to tune into your body’s responses and choose the path that feels most aligned with your wellness goals. We’d love to support you in your health journey, so contact us for an appointment at the Ruscio Institute for Functional Health.

The Ruscio Institute has developed a range of high-quality formulations to help our clients and audience. If you’re interested in learning more about these products, please click here. Note that there are many other options available, and we encourage you to research which products may be right for you. The information on DrRuscio.com is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.