Akkermansia increases T-cells, natural GLP-1, improves immunotherapy and cancer therapy and is linked to longevity; it has become the trendy, must-have supplement - is this deserved?
Chris Woollams, Oxford University Biochemist and author of multiple articles on the gut microbiome, reviews the research and the claims..
Akkermansia - what is it?
Akkermansia muciniphila is an anaerobic bacterium found in the human gut. It is generally considered beneficial for metabolic health and gut barrier integrity. The only food that provides it is mother’s milk. However, its levels are increased when taking berberine and through consuming certain prebiotic foods such as polyphenols, fibre and fish oils (see below). It lives largely in your caecum.
Akkermansia - what does it do?
Akkermansia is part of a healthy microbiome, your Health Control Centre. It helps control your metabolism through contributing to levels of the SCFAs Propionate and Acetate.
Akkermansia releases natural GLP-1 which controls blood sugar, influences insulin sensitivity and weight. It can be of help to diabetics.
It also increases T-lymphocytes, TILs and T-regs, and can increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy where patients have recently had antibiotics or chemotherapy. It can help fight cancer.
It declines as we age, but people who live to a ripe old age, have higher levels of Akkermansia in their microbiome.
The early research - ‘akkermansia consumes mucin’
Akkermansia muciniphila feeds on gut mucus, and is normally said that this ‘stimulates the production of new mucin, thus strengthening the intestinal barrier’, which may help prevent "leaky gut." This view seems to have given Akkermansia a good reputation from the outset.
But this hides a complex problem. First, Akkermansia doesn’t make mucin. Mucin is exclusively synthesized and secreted by the host’s goblet cells in the intestinal epithelium. At least 3 genes are involved.
Secondly, Akkermansia is not alone - there are other specialized "mucin-eating" bacteria, such as Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, and certain Bifidobacterium strains, each possessing enzymes that break down mucin glycans for energy.
What does rebuild mucin?
If Akkermansia feeds on mucus, what provides the new mucus. It’s a team effort, involving bacteria such as certain Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains. These are involved in making the mucin - prompting the key question, ‘do you have those?’ In most people over 50, typically on a Western Diet the two families combined run at less than 4% of total bacteria in the microbiome.
Vitamin D and SCFA butyrate also have a powerful effect on rebuilding the gut wall and mucin levels - do you have enough of these components?
So before you rush out and buy the Akkermansia supplement, does consuming mucin really make Akkermansia a good bacterium?
This doubt is also borne out by the research, where its effects are context-dependent and not universally positive. Too much may not be a good thing.
What stimulates Akkermansia levels?
Akkermansia is not contained in food or fermented foods, although certain foods can stimulate its levels.
Polyphenol-Rich Foods are among the most effective direct promoters. Key sources include:
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Berries: Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and dried cranberries.
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Fruits: Pomegranates, grapes, and apples (specifically the skin).
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Beverages: Green tea and red wine (in moderation).
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Others: Dark chocolate (85% cocoa or higher), cocoa, and cranberry juice.
Prebiotic Fibers and Resistant Starches provide the necessary fuel for Akkermansia to thrive by increasing the gut mucus layer. Essential foods include:
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Vegetables: Onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, and broccoli.
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Whole Grains: Oats, barley, quinoa, and brown rice.
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Pulses/Legumes: Lentils, chickpeas, black beans, and kidney beans.
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Other Sources: Bananas (especially green), nuts, seeds (chia, flax), hot chilli peppers and chicory root.
However, high-sugar diets, ultra-processed foods, and low-fiber diets deplete Akkermansia populations.
Akkermansia and immunotherapy drugs
The presence of the bacterium is a strong positive predictor for the success of cancer immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors such as Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) (1). But does this mean that Akkermansia is itself involved in a positive way with immunotherapy, or is it just indicative of a healthier microbiome overall? We know that a strong microbiome helps immunotherapy deliver a strong result, whereas research shows that taking Probiotics, Proton Pump Inhibitors and Dexamethasone immediately before or during immunotherapy, damages the result.
And we know, Akkermansia presence is complex - too little is ineffective, but too much can actually be worse - while patients with "normal" abundance (below approx 4.8% of gut microbiota) exhibit the longest overall survival (median approx 27 months in NSCLC lung cancer studies), patients with very high levels (above 4.8%) had the shortest survival times (median ~7.8 months). These figures are even worse than those with no Akkermansia at all.
This suggests that excessive abundance may be linked to gut injury or increased dysbiosis that impairs immune response. The research study above (1), asked if it was merely a canary in a coal mine. That’s my argument too.
What do we know for sure? The gut microbiome is important for the correct functioning of the immune system. Kill all the bacteria off with antibiotics in mice and parts of the immune system disappear. Give the mice a fecal transplant, and the missing pieces return.
I think it could be that the presence of Akkermansia mucinophelia is merely indicative that you have a strong diverse microbiome, providing a strong diverse immune system, lowered inflammation and a stronger Health Control Centre. It could simply be a Bellwether.
Akkermansia and the immune system
Akkermansia muciniphila has demonstrated anti-tumour effects in preclinical models of sarcoma, where it has been shown to reduce tumour volume and weight. It enhances anti-tumour immunity by promoting the Tumour Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs) and increasing the secretion of interferon gamma (2).
Research indicates that Akkermansia muciniphila enhances the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy by boosting T-cell activation and IL-12 production (3).
However, again the role of Akkermansia in cancer is complex. While it generally supports immune strength and improves response to therapies like checkpoint inhibitors and CAR T-cell therapy, some studies indicate levels may exacerbate tumour progression e.g in colorectal cancer models following antibiotic treatment.
This negative response has not just been shown in CRC models post antibiotics. Akkermansia muciniphila has even been linked to sarcoma progression in mouse models, where antibiotic-induced depletion of gut bacteria (which includes Akkermansia) was found to promote tumour growth in sarcoma models.
However, if you then add Akkermansia to the depleted microbiome after antibiotics, you do improve the result. This was shown for Ovarian cancer (4).
Akkermansia and healthy metabolism
In a 2026 review for the European Society of Medicine, Akkermansia was shown to support healthy metabolism. It reduces inflammation, increases T-cells of several forms, not just TILS but T-regs, and it increases the production of SCFAs propionate and Acetate. It is not alone in this. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii does much the same (4).
It also helps the body release GLP-1, controlling blood sugar and weight, improving insulin sensitivity and potentially reducing a number of metabolic diseases (5).
Akkermansia - longevity, health and immunity - The Bottom Line
I think the ‘it consumes mucin’ was just early research. The latest studies show many more benefits.Importantly, I think natural levels of Akkermansia are reflective of the overall strength of the gut microbiome. It is a bellwether for the microbiome and thus a bellwether for your whole Health Control Centre.
It increases levels of Short Chain Fatty Acids Propionate and Acetate and thus plays a major role in a healthy metabolism. It helps produce natural GLP-1, which helps diabetics, lowers insulin and insulin sensitivity, and helps control blood sugar and weight.
Where the microbiome is depleted following antibiotics or chemotherapy, it can act in its own right and increase the immune system; and there definitely is an argument there for supplementation. It can help immunotherapy beat cancer.
It can help you age. People in the Blue Zones - the areas of the world where there are more 80-, 90- and 100-year olds, have higher levels of Akkermansia in their microbiomes.
But don’t overdo it! I am conscious that too much may be counterproductive, so I would not rush into daily supplementation. Rather I would supplement, say, two times a week and consume foods such as pomegranate, red grapes or dried cranberries, to keep levels at good rather than at potentially dangerous high levels. After all, it can consume mucin!
Go to: Lactobacillus reuteri
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References
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Immunotherapy response-associated Akkermansia: canary in a coal mine? Tina Cascone et al; Trends in Immunology, May 2022, 337-339; Scientific American
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Akkermansia supplementation reverses the tumor-promoting effect of the fecal microbiota transplantation in ovarian cancer; Zizhuo Wang et al; Cell, Volume 41, Issue 13111890 December 27, 2022
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The metabolic, protective, and immune functions of Akkermansia muciniphila; Reza Ghotaslou et al; Microbiological Research, Volume 266, January 2023, 127245
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Akkermansia muciniphila and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in Immune-Related Diseases; Raden Mohamad Rendy Ariezal Effendi et al; Microorganisms 2022, 10(12), 2382; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10122382
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Examining the use of Akkermansia muciniphila as a promising mitigation for metabolic disorders; Aava Joshi, Dan Li; European Society of Medicine, 30 April 2026