Strategies to promote the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila, an emerging probiotic in the gut, evidence from dietary intervention studies

  1. A. muciniphila has been inversely associated with obesity, diabetes, inflammation, and metabolic disorders.
  2. Black tea or a red wine grape extract (RWGE), both containing complex dietary polyphenol mixtures, significantly promoted the growth of A. muciniphila
  3. Akkermansia is a well-documented genus that prevents high-fat diet-induced obesity, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia.
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6223323/

What mucus-derived sugars do Akkermansia muciniphila metabolize, and what foods contain them?

Akkermansia muciniphila is a beneficial gut bacterium known for its ability to thrive in the mucus layer of the intestines, which plays a crucial role in maintaining gut health. This bacterium metabolizes specific sugars derived from mucus, primarily mucin-derived glycans. These glycans are complex carbohydrates that are part of the mucin proteins in the mucus layer of the gut. The key mucus-derived sugars that Akkermansia muciniphila metabolizes include:

  1. N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) is a sugar monomer that is a building block of many polysaccharides, including those in mucin. It’s found in Shellfish (chitin) but is typically more relevant in the gut as a component of mucus.
  2. Fucose is a hexose deoxy sugar that is a common component of mucins. It’s found in Seaweed (e.g., brown algae), some mushrooms, and human milk.
  3. Galactose is a simple sugar component of lactose and various polysaccharides, including mucins. It’s found in Dairy products, fruits (especially citrus), and certain legumes.
  4. Sialic Acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid) is a sugar commonly found at the terminal positions of mucin glycans. It’s found in Meat (particularly organ meats), dairy, and human milk.
  5. Galactosamine (N-acetylgalactosamine) is an amino sugar found in mucin. It’s found in: Similar to GlcNAc, more commonly associated with mucus and cartilage in the body.

Foods that Support Akkermansia muciniphila:

  1. Prebiotic Foods: These foods promote the growth of Akkermansia muciniphila indirectly by increasing mucus production or providing fibers that support a healthy gut lining:
    Oats, barley, and legumes (contain beta-glucans).
  2. Fruits and vegetables like apples, onions, and garlic (contain polyphenols and prebiotic fibers).
  3. Cranberries and pomegranate (contain polyphenols known to support this bacterium).
  4. Polyphenol-rich Foods: Polyphenols found in foods like green tea, dark chocolate, and red wine can support the growth of Akkermansia muciniphila by modulating the gut environment.

What combination of foods would we need to eat to get all of these compounds: N-acetylglucosamine, Fucose, galactose, Galactosamine, raffinose, and Sialic acid? 

To obtain the listed compounds from food, you can focus on the following combination of foods:

  1. Bone broth: Contains N-acetylglucosamine (important for gut health and joint support) and sialic acid.
  2. Seaweed (e.g., fucus species like bladderwrack): Rich in fucose, a sugar essential for cell communication and immune function. Other: shitake and reishi mushroom.
  3. Black beans, green peas, lentils, and chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) Contain galactose, galactosamine, and raffinose.

What intestinal bacteria help support the growth of Paneth cells in the intestinal epithelium?

Paneth Cells are specialized cells found in the small intestine that play a critical role in maintaining gut homeostasis and protecting the host from pathogenic microbes. Various factors, including intestinal bacteria, influence the growth and differentiation of Paneth cells. Recent studies have shown that specific strains of intestinal bacteria, such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Akkermansia, can promote the growth and differentiation of Paneth cells. These bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as butyrate, propionate, and acetate, which can act as energy sources for the epithelial cells and promote their proliferation and differentiation. In addition to SCFAs, some bacteria can also produce peptides, such as the human beta-defensin-2 (hBD-2), which can stimulate the growth and differentiation of Paneth cells. These peptides are part of the innate immune system and play a critical role in defending against bacterial and viral infections.

What intestinal bacteria produce the peptides human beta-defensin-2 (hBD-2)?

Human beta-defensin-2 (hBD-2) is a peptide produced by human intestinal epithelial cells in response to various stimuli, including bacterial infections. However, some studies have suggested that certain intestinal bacteria can also induce the expression of hBD-2. For example, a study published in the journal “Microbiology and Immunology” found that the probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG can induce the expression of hBD-2 in intestinal epithelial cells. Another study published in “PLoS One” identified several commensal bacteria, including Bacteroides fragilis, that can induce hBD-2 expression in intestinal epithelial cells.

What can contribute to low levels of Akkermansia muciniphila?

Akkermansia muciniphila is a type of gut bacteria that plays a vital role in gut health, metabolic health, and immunity. Low levels of Akkermansia muciniphila have been associated with several health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and other gut-related disorders. Some factors that can contribute to low levels of Akkermansia muciniphila in the gut include:

  1. Unhealthy diet: A diet high in processed foods, refined sugars, and saturated fats can negatively impact gut health and decrease the abundance of beneficial gut bacteria such as Akkermansia muciniphila.
  2. Antibiotic use: Antibiotics are known to disrupt the gut microbiome and can lead to a decrease in the abundance of beneficial gut bacteria, including Akkermansia muciniphila.
  3. Age: Age-related changes in the gut microbiome can decrease the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila.
  4. Stress: Chronic stress can negatively impact gut health and decrease the abundance of beneficial gut bacteria, including Akkermansia muciniphila.
  5. Lack of Exercise: Regular exercise has been shown to positively affect gut health and may help promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria such as Akkermansia muciniphila. Physical activity-induced alterations of the gut microbiota are BMI-dependent.

In conclusion, our results show physical activity (PA)-induced alterations in the gut microbiota were largely BMI-dependent. While alpha diversity increased in normal and overweight adults with moderate increases in PA duration, compositional changes were primarily restricted to those of normal weight. Sex-specific associations with hand-grip strength and the microbiota were also found, specifically for F. prausnitzii, a highly metabolically active species related to muscle strength. Overall, these results highlight the importance of BMI in achieving the desired microbial composition by PA.

Other:

Exercise of moderate duration (≥150 minutes per week) increased the richness and diversity of the gut microbiomes compared to study participants who exercised less.

Smoking harms gut health and can decrease the abundance of beneficial gut bacteria, including Akkermansia muciniphila.

Weight Loss:  Consumption of fermented foods increased the abundance of the beneficial gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila and reduced the number of Proteobacteria associated with obesity. Akkermansia muciniphila is a species of gut bacterium reported to reduce inflammation and improve the markers of metabolic syndrome and obesity by producing short-chain fatty acids. https://scitechdaily.com/kimchi-diet-reduces-body-fat-by-31-8-in-preclinical-study/