Strengthening the Gut Barrier Through Supplementation

The Case For Akkermansia

What experts have to say *

Mark Hyman, MD (Functional Medicine Expert):

"Increasing Akkermansia levels was a key part of restoring my gut function... higher Akkermansia levels are linked to better metabolic health, gut function, and immune health in most people."

"Akkermansia supplementation contributes to the maintenance of the integrity of gut epithelium and helps to improve metabolic disorders."

"Targeted bacterial strains like Akkermansia enhance the integrity of the gut barrier and play a role in the inflammatory responses necessary for effective metabolic regulation."

Journal of Molecular Endocrinology:

Alayna Hutchinson, MS, RDN (Pendulum Therapeutics)

*It is important to consult a healthcare professional before taking Akkermansia supplements, especially after taking antibiotics to ensure it's appropriate and safe for your specific situation.

Inmunotherapy and Akkermansia*

The emerging role of Akkermansia muciniphila** in oncology represents a paradigm shift, transforming our understanding of the gut-immune axis from a passive biological system into a precise tool for cancer treatment. At the cellular level, Akkermansia acts as a master orchestrator of the immune response, specifically recruiting CD4+ T-lymphocytes and amplifying the activity of cytotoxic T-cells. This recruitment process "primes" the body, allowing the immune system to identify and attack malignant cells with far greater efficiency. Furthermore, it fundamentally reconfigures the tumor microenvironment—a space cancer often uses to hide—shifting the biological balance from one that protects the tumor to one that aggressively promotes anti-cancer activity.

Beyond direct immune recruitment, the efficacy of Akkermansia is rooted in its ability to fortify the body’s foundational defenses. By maintaining a robust and healthy gut barrier, it prevents the "leakage" of inflammatory markers into the bloodstream that would otherwise distract and exhaust the immune system. This structural integrity allows the body to focus its resources entirely on the therapeutic target. Simultaneously, Akkermansia produces high-value metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which possess inherent anti-cancer properties and serve as metabolic fuel for the very immune cells tasked with destroying the tumor.

From a clinical perspective, the presence of Akkermansia is proving to be a revolutionary predictive biomarker. Data now suggests that high baseline levels of this microbe are a more accurate predictor of a patient's survival and response to immunotherapy than traditional markers like PD-L1 expression. This discovery has profound implications for the future of medicine: we are moving toward a model where Akkermansia is used as a synergistic therapeutic, potentially "turning on" the immune response in patients who were previously non-responders. By integrating these microbial strategies with modern immunotherapy, we are unlocking a new horizon where the gut microbiome becomes a primary driver in the journey toward a definitive cure.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information/product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

**These scientific studies proved that Akkermansia is not just a "good" bacterium but a necessary partner for certain modern cancer treatments.

• Routy, B., et al. (2018). "Gut microbiome influences efficacy of PD-1–based immunotherapy against epithelial tumors." Science, 359(6371), 91-97.

  • The "Breakthrough" Study: Established that Akkermansia is required for a positive response to PD-1 inhibitors.

• Derosa, L., et al. (2022). "Intestinal Akkermansia muciniphila predicts clinical response to PD-1 blockade in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer." Nature Medicine, 28, 315–324.

  • Validated Akkermansia as a clinical biomarker for predicting survival in lung cancer patients.

• Jiang, Y., et al. (2025). "Akkermansia muciniphila reprograms immunosuppressive microenvironment via efferocytosis inhibition to sensitize anti-PD-1 therapy in MSS colorectal cancer: phase I trial." Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, 13(Suppl 2).

  • A 2025 Phase I trial showing that Akkermansia supplements help overcome treatment resistance in colorectal cancer.

• Wu, X., et al. (2025). "Intestinal Akkermansia muciniphila complements the efficacy of PD1 therapy in MAFLD-related hepatocellular carcinoma." Cell Reports Medicine, 6(1).

  • Demonstrates how Akkermansia repairs the gut lining to reduce liver inflammation, helping immunotherapy work against liver cancer.

Find out more

Dr. David Li