Data published in Food Science and Human Wellness indicated that eight weeks of supplementation with both probiotic (live) and postbiotic (pasteurized) forms of A. muciniphila led to reductions in body weight and BMI, with the probiotic performing better than the postbiotic, compared to placebo.
Significant reductions compared to placebo were also reported for the probiotic form for a range of lipid measures, including total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol, reported scientists from Nanchang University.
“This study systematically demonstrated that both viable A. muciniphila PROBIO and its postbiotic preparation effectively reduced overweight-related parameters, including body weight and fat mass, in overweight patients,” they wrote.
“In addition, both interventions significantly alleviated anxiety and depression symptoms and improved sleep quality. Moreover, A. muciniphila PROBIO intervention ameliorated hepatic dysfunction and lipid metabolism disorders in patients. Notably, the viable A. muciniphila PROBIO formulation exhibited superior efficacy over its postbiotics in ameliorating both overweight conditions and mood disorders.”
Leading the weight management pack
Data from SPINS data shows that sales of weight management probiotics on Amazon have surged 84% from only $3.3 million in 2024 to $6.4 million this year. As NutraIngredients reported last year, Akkermansia is leading the way in 76% of all the biotics products making GLP-1 claims on Amazon USA, according to Ewa Hudson, director of insights at Lumina Intelligence. Hudson told NI that there were 75 supplement products making GLP-1 claims in November 2024, with 38 of those being biotic products.
Akkermansia muciniphila is a Gram-negative, anaerobic bacterium that colonizes the gut during the first year of life. The bug reportedly accounts for about 3% of the human gut microbiota, and its abundance in the intestinal mucus layer is inversely correlated with BMI, type 1 diabetes and bowel disease in humans.
Akkermansia is known to produce nutrients that feed intestinal cells responsible for producing the intestinal mucus layer, which helps to maintain healthy intestinal barrier function and controls gut permeability and low-grade inflammation in the gut.
The new study used A. muciniphila PROBIO (CGMCC No.20955) isolated from healthy individuals. The strain was developed by China-based Thankcome and is distributed in the U.S. by New York-based Maypro.
Commenting on the study’s findings, Xueping Yu, CEO of Thankcome, stated: “This is a landmark moment for AKK PROBIO. For the first time, we have validated in human trials what our lab research has long indicated: Live A. muciniphila can deliver meaningful, measurable improvements in metabolic and emotional health.”
Study details
The Nanchang University researchers recruited 130 overweight adults to participate in their double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The participants were divided into three groups: Probiotic (viable) A. muciniphila PROBIO (10 billion CFUs), postbiotics A. muciniphila PROBIO (10 billion pasteurized bacteria), or placebo.
The data showed that both viable and postbiotic forms reduced body weight, fat mass and BMI, although these results did not reach statistical significance compared to the placebo group, “which may be related to the short intervention period,” the researchers reported.
However, statistically significant reductions were achieved for the probiotic form for waist circumference and waist-hip ratio, but the postbiotic did not match these benefits.
Potential mood and sleep benefits were assessed using the 14-item Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA-14), the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), with the results showing significant improvements for all these scales for both probiotic and postbiotic forms, compared to placebo.
Again, the benefits of the probiotic exceeded those of the postbiotic,the researchers noted. Significant increases in serotonin and dopamine were recorded for the probiotic Akkermansia group.
“These findings provide a theoretical foundation and data support for developing products and clinical applications of A. muciniphila PROBIO in managing metabolic disorders such as overweight and obesity,” the researchers wrote.
Source: Food Science and Human Wellness, doi: 10.26599/FSHW.2025.9250659. “Akkermansia muciniphila PROBIO ameliorates overweight via gut microbiota modulation: A randomized controlled trial”. Authors: J. You, et al.
