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New study links Akkermansia Muciniphilia to urinary tract health in women

Urinary tract health is a top-of-mind concern for adult women.

In the US alone, a study found that up to 79% of women (≥18 years in a sample of 50 counties) experience lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).1 The market for urinary health products continues to grow. The global urinary tract health supplements market is estimated at more than $1bn in 2026.

It is forecast to exceed $2bn by 2035, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 9%.2 Several botanical urinary health ingredients have been clinically studied in women; however, they are not typically positioned to address the urinary microbiome.3

The microbiome is a factor in both vaginal and urinary health. One study found an association between the bladder urobiome and key LUTS in women.4 As a result, while botanicals still anchor many women’s urinary health formulations, a market has emerged for probiotics that support vaginal health by modulating the vaginal microbiome.

One market report valued the global market for vaginal health probiotic supplements at more than $700m in 2025 and projects it will reach almost $1.5bn by 2035, a CAGR approaching 8%.5

This growing demand inspired Vidya, a leading manufacturer of herbal extracts and probiotics, to study the use of its proprietary strain of Akkermansia muciniphila, NūGensia™, for urinary tract health in women. The probiotic’s ability to utilize mucin places it in close interaction with the intestinal epithelium and mucosal environment, with growing interest in its role in intestinal barrier function, immune modulation, and metabolic homeostasis.6,7

Probiotics, primarily the Lactobacillus species, have been investigated as a strategy for recurrent UTIs, but A. muciniphila remains unexplored in this context.8-11 Given its interaction with the intestinal mucosa and proposed immunomodulatory and microbiota-modulating properties, oral A. muciniphila supplementation may influence clinical and biological parameters associated with recurrent UTIs.

Vidya conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of NūGensia™ in women with recurrent UTIs, recently published in EC Nutrition.12 Researchers tracked how often participants experienced symptomatic UTIs, how their urinary symptoms changed, and what happened to their vaginal microbiota and pH, while monitoring safety and hormonal markers.

Sixty women aged 18 to 70 with a history of recurrent UTIs (at least three episodes in the previous year, including at least one medically diagnosed) took either 1bn CFU of NūGensia™ or a maltodextrin placebo daily for 60 days. The results were consistent across clinical, symptom, and microbiome measures.

Fewer symptomatic episodes and less antibiotic use

Women taking NūGensia™ experienced 34% fewer symptomatic UTI episodes per person than those on placebo (0.87 vs. 1.32; p = 0.014). Half of the NūGensia™ group got through the 60 days without a single episode, compared with fewer than one in four on placebo (p = 0.031). Culture-confirmed infections followed the same pattern (46.7% vs. 73.3%; p = 0.037).

Just as relevant, only 50% of the NūGensia™ group needed antibiotics during the study versus 80% on placebo (p = 0.015), and rescue-medication use was cut in half (20% vs. 40%; p = 0.048) (Table 1; Figure 1).

ParameterNūGensia™PlaceboBetween-group p-value
Mean episodes per subject0.871.320.014
Total episodes34500.009
Subjects with ≥1 UTI, n (%)15 (50.0%)23 (76.7%)0.031
Culture-positive UTI, n (%)14 (46.7%)22 (73.3%)0.037
Antibiotic use, n (%)15 (50.0%)24 (80%)0.015
Rescue medication, n (%)6 (20.0%)12 (40.0%)0.048

Table 1: Incidence of symptomatic UTI (baseline to day 60)

Figure 1: Primary efficacy outcomes for UTI at Day 60.
Figure 1: Primary efficacy outcomes for UTI at Day 60.
Figure 1: Primary efficacy outcomes for UTI at Day 60.
Figure 1: Primary efficacy outcomes for UTI at Day 60.

Greater improvement in urinary symptoms and quality of life

Symptoms were measured with the Acute Cystitis Symptom Score (ACSS), a validated questionnaire. Both groups improved, but women taking NūGensia™ improved significantly more: their gains were more than twice those seen with placebo across all three ACSS domains, covering typical urinary symptoms, differential symptoms, and quality of life (p ≤ 0.012 for all; Figure 2).

Figure 2: Mean ACSS domain change from baseline, probiotic vs. placebo (mean ± SD).
Figure 2: Mean ACSS domain change from baseline, probiotic vs. placebo (mean ± SD).
Figure 2: Mean ACSS domain change from baseline, probiotic vs. placebo (mean ± SD).
Figure 2: Mean ACSS domain change from baseline, probiotic vs. placebo (mean ± SD).

Favorable shifts in the vaginal microbiota

Because the vaginal microbiota can act as a reservoir for the bacteria behind most UTIs, the researchers also measured key species using qPCR. After 60 days, levels of the common uropathogens E. coli and Proteus mirabilis were significantly lower with NūGensia™ than with placebo, while beneficial Bifidobacterium was significantly higher (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Vaginal microbiota composition at Day 60 (post-treatment), probiotic vs. placebo.
Figure 3: Vaginal microbiota composition at Day 60 (post-treatment), probiotic vs. placebo.

Lower vaginal pH, with no effect on hormones

Vaginal pH fell from 5.99 to 4.90 with NūGensia™, moving toward the healthy acidic range, compared with little change on placebo (5.88 to 5.74). Importantly for a women’s health ingredient, reproductive hormones (FSH, LH, estradiol, and testosterone) and ovarian markers remained stable in both groups, and no serious adverse events were reported.

What it means for brands

Together, these findings add to the evidence supporting probiotics as an approach to women’s urinary tract health, with NūGensia™ demonstrating both a reduction in symptomatic UTI incidence and favorable shifts in the vaginal microbiome. This offers a different formulation approach from the botanical ingredients commonly used in the category. At a daily dose of 1 billion CFU, it also provides flexibility for use in capsule and other finished-product formats.

Learn more about NūGensia™ or request a copy of the full study here, or email info@vidyausa.com.

References

  1. Sutcliffe, S.; et al. Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in US Women: Contemporary Prevalence Estimates from the RISE FOR HEALTH Study. J Urol. 2024 Jul;212(1):124-135.
  2.  Business Research Insights. Urinary Tract Health Supplements Market Overview.
  3. Nussbaumer-Pröll, A.; et al. A Pilot Study on the Impact of Cranberry and Ascorbic Acid Supplementation on the Urinary Microbiome of Healthy Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Antibiotics (Basel). 2025 Mar 7;14(3):278.
  4. Price, T.; et al. Bladder bacterial diversity differs in continent and incontinent women: a cross-sectional study. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2020; 223, 729.e1-729.e10.
  5. DATAM Intelligence. Vaginal Health Probiotic Supplement Market Size, Share, Trends, and Forecast 2026 to 2035.
  6. Menjivar, C.; et al. Akkermansia muciniphila. Trends Microbiol. 2024 Nov;32(11):1143-1144.
  7. Cani, PD.; et al. Akkermansia muciniphila: paradigm for next-generation beneficial microorganisms. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022 Oct;19(10):625-637.
  8. Stapleton, AE.; et al. Randomized, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial of a Lactobacillus crispatus probiotic given intravaginally for prevention of recurrent urinary tract infection. Clin Infect Dis. 2011 May;52(10):1212-7.
  9. Amdekar, S.; et al. Probiotic therapy: immunomodulating approach toward urinary tract infection. Curr Microbiol. 2011 Nov;63(5):484-90.
  10. Reid, G.; et al. Probiotics to prevent urinary tract infections: the rationale and evidence. World J Urol. 2006 Feb;24(1):28-32.
  11. Ng, QX.; et al. Use of Lactobacillus spp. to prevent recurrent urinary tract infections in females. Med Hypotheses. 2018 May;114:49-54.
  12. Rajagopalan, P.; et al. Assessment of Akkermansia muciniphila (Nugensia™) for Improving Clinical and Microbiological Outcomes in Women with Urinary Tract Infections. EC Nutrition. 2026;21(7):01-13.

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