Healing Your Gut to Improve Your Metabolism
Weight loss is a common concern for many of us, especially as we age. Our bodies change, hormones shift, and muscle mass decreases, making it harder to shed those extra pounds. With the increasing availability of products like Ozempic, Wegovy, and others, weight loss has become an even hotter topic. However, many people still struggle with stubborn weight gain, finding it more frustrating than ever.
Many of my clients come to me wanting to lose between 5 to 15 pounds but find it increasingly difficult to lose weight as they once did. Even with healthy eating habits, they’re gaining weight instead of losing it.
In these cases, I don’t usually prescribe weight loss drugs. While these drugs can reduce overall weight, they often cause a loss of muscle mass (between a quarter and a third of the weight), which is crucial for preventing injuries, maintaining balanced hormones, and reducing disease risk as we age. So I save those drugs for more extreme cases.
We all want to feel our best, both inside and out, and sometimes we need a little extra help to achieve that. This month, we're diving into a new supplement that shows promising research as a safe and effective weight loss aid while also lowering inflammation, healing leaky gut, and improving cardiovascular health!
What Contributes to Weight Gain and Loss?
Weight management is a complex balance that goes beyond the "calories in vs. calories out" approach. The outdated notion of losing weight by under-eating and over-exercising is not only unsustainable but also ineffective. Many of us have tried it and quickly given up because it doesn’t feel good! This is where we see losing and gaining the same 5 pounds.
With more research and a deeper understanding of the human body, we now know that factors like gut health, metabolic health, and muscle mass play crucial roles in weight management. And here’s where the latest research on Akkermansia muciniphila comes in.
Akkermansia muciniphila and Weight Loss
The powerhouse Akkermansia muciniphila is a keystone species of probiotic inhabiting the intestinal mucus layer (think gut lining) and contributes to the maintenance of a healthy gut barrier. These lovely gut bugs also produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These SCFAs possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, enhance insulin sensitivity, and help regulate appetite.
Studies show links observed between low levels of this species and various health conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and liver diseases.
On the flip side, higher amounts of Akkermansia muciniphila in the gut are associated with a healthier body weight, less body fat, and better insulin sensitivity.
The research has shown statistically significant improvements in insulin resistance and reduced insulinemia (which means reduced insulin in the blood) while taking Akkermansia muciniphila. There was also some reduction in fat mass, body weight, and hip circumference in their test group.
Overall, this probiotic has been effective and safe in reducing insulin resistance and supporting gut health and metabolic health. Its abundance in our gut is associated with so many positives, and there aren’t any unwanted side effects like muscle loss.
I am so excited about this product because it focuses on supporting our gut health, and a healthy microbiome, and doesn’t just reduce our mass (and take muscle with it). This results in long-term improvement in our insulin levels and ability to manage a healthy weight as well as our general health overall.
I’m excited to announce that I now have an Akkermansia product in my online store. Here are some specifics about the exact product available:
If you are currently taking another probiotic, this would be a unique strain that is not included in the other more traditional probiotics. So this could be added to your current probiotic to allow for an overall balance. Or you can try this alone to see how you respond. I have been taking it for over a month now and have seen many benefits that make it a product I will continue ongoing.
While a whole foods anti-inflammatory diet and regular exercise are the cornerstones for maintaining healthy weight and minimizing metabolic syndrome (obesity, type II diabetes, high cholesterol) risks, this next-generation bacteria, pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila, offers a new solution to support metabolism in those who are overweight or obese.
If you decide to give it a try, I’d love to hear your results.
Resources:
MIAdmin. (2023, November 17). Akkermansia muciniphila: Your next-generation bacteria for Metabolic Health. Metagenics Institute | Your trusted health, nutrition, and personalized lifestyle medicine resource. https://www.metagenicsinstitute.com/blogs/akkermansia-muciniphila-bacteria-for-metabolic-health/
MIAdmin. (2022, August 2). Immune Health mediated by Gut Microbe: Metagenics Institute. Metagenics Institute | Your trusted health, nutrition, and personalized lifestyle medicine resource. https://www.metagenicsinstitute.com/blogs/gut-microbe-and-immune-health/