Akkermansia Muciniphila is one of the most talked about gut bacteria and you often hear about GLP-1 in the health and wellness community. Why are they so important?

Akkermansia Muciniphila (A. muciniphila), a beneficial gut bacterium, promotes health by stimulating your body’s own production of the hormone GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1). This natural GLP-1 improves blood sugar control, strengthens the gut lining, reduces inflammation, and helps with weight management.

Eating polyphenol rich foods and fiber, like berries, apples (with peel), pomegranates, green tea, onions, garlic, asparagus, and oats, serve as prebiotics (food) for A. muciniphila.

Here’s the science behind it. A December 2025 Science Direct report reviews current literature on A. muciniphila. It found that A. muciniphila stimulates mucin production, strengthens the mucous barrier, supports gut microbiota integrity, and promotes metabolic and immune functions (1).

Here’s the connection between A. muciniphila and GLP-1. The collective literature concludes A. muciniphila increases GLP-1 secretion through short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production and TLR2 activation; improves insulin sensitivity, reduces adiposity, and reduces weight gain. For clarification, TLR2 is a cell-surface protein in the immune system that detects various microbial components (like bacterial lipoproteins, fungi) to trigger immune responses. GLP-1 is part of a group of metabolic hormones — called incretin hormones — that help decrease blood glucose levels. The majority of GLP-1s are produced by L-cells lining the small intestine and colon (2).

Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, accounting for 90 % of the total microbial population. The remaining 10% microbiota includes members of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Fusobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia, Among these and residing in mucus layer of our gut, Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila), was first isolated from human feces by 2004.  Comprising 3-5% of our gut microbiome since early life, A. muciniphila shows a significant decline in elderly individuals and those with inflammatory and metabolic disorders, according to the study.

The study also goes into depth about how deficiencies in A. muciniphila makes the individual vulnerable to inflammatory diseases, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infection, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and aging.

1) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944501325002769

2) https://www.pccarx.com/Blog/glp-1-the-naturally-produced-hormone