Gut Bacterium that May Promote Weight Loss Discovered

Lisa Franchi May 16, 2013

Researchers found that a specific type of bacteria living in the human intestine has an inverse correlation with body weight. That is, low levels of these bacteria predispose obesity. Because of this, scientists suggest that restoring the bacteria in the gut may lead to weight reduction and normalisation of blood sugar levels.

They were referring to the Akkermansia muciniphila – a type of bacteria that comprises between 3 and 5 per cent of the gut microbes in healthy mammals. The research team, led by Patrice Cani of the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, discovered that obese mice had 3,300 times less A. muciniphila in their gut. They tried restoring the bacteria to normal levels by feeding the lab mice with live A. muciniphila or giving them oligofructose prebiotics.

After normal levels were established, the mice started to lose weight. Not only that. They also developed a better fat to lean mass ratio. The experimental mice also demonstrated a significant reduction in the degree of adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance – key risk factors for type 2 diabetes. There was also an increase in the endocannabinoid – neuromodulatory lipids and their receptors that help control glucose levels in the blood.

The researchers found that the mice with normal levels of A. muciniphila developed thicker intestinal mucus which usually erodes during weight gain. The mucus plays a critical role in protecting the intestine from unhealthy microbes that trigger diseases.

But the other obese mice that were fed with heat-killed A. muciniphila experienced no effects. There were also no effects when the mice were given Lactobacillus plantarum, a bacterium often found in probiotics.

The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that A. muciniphila has a significant role in preventing weight gain and insulin resistance – two major predictors of type 2 diabetes. The researchers encourage more studies to determine whether this type of bacteria could be used to treat obesity and related metabolic disorders in humans.

Source of this article:

Cross-talk between Akkermansia muciniphila and intestinal epithelium controls diet-induced obesity