Struggling with Weight....Check Your Microbiome

Did you know there is a microbe that regulates your weight and your insulin?

As you know, we have trillions of microbes that live in and on our bodies, and we are simply a host to a unique ecosystem.

But until recently we only knew about a few of these fascinating invisible creatures. The ones we could culture in a lab.

Then when scientists isolated the genome of these microorganisms, called metagenomics, we discovered fascinating and essential species that we had no idea existed, one of them is Akkermansia muciniphila.

Meet Akkermansia muciniphila…or what I like to call the ‘metabolism microbe’

Akkermansia muciniphila is the main character in the “tale of two mice,” where two germ free mice were introduced to different microbiota, one from a lean subject and one from an obese subject.

The mouse that was inoculated with the obese microbiota not only gained weight without any change in diet, but also developed insulin resistance.

The other mouse given the lean microbiota, stayed lean, without any metabolic changes.

The tale of two mice…

Throughout the experiment these two mice were isolated, but these curious scientists shifted the experiment, and placed the mice in the same enclosure and to their surprise the obese mouse began to change back to lean.

This is because mice eat each other’s feces, so the microbiota began to change…but only for the obese mouse

Then…they experimented more, and shifted their diet to be void of fiber (which feed the microbes), and the obese mouse began to revert back to an insulin resistant condition.

So what is the deal?

Clearly these scientists realized they had stumbled upon something amazing, but they could not isolate this mysterious microbe by culturing it.

They also realized that this microbe could be introduced by coprophagia (a rodent version of fecal transplant), and then can be either fed or starved according to the prebiotic fiber in the diet.

Through the science of metagenomics (DNA sequencing of the microbes) they discovered that the culprit was Akkermansia muciniphila, which is abundant in a diverse and healthy microbiota.

Cool discovery….but, because it is anaerobic (unable to live in oxygen) it cannot be cultured, so you won’t be seeing a weight loss supplement lining the shelves with this unique microbe.

How can we help this microbe, to support our metabolism?

Through feeding this ‘metabolism microbe’ we can support A. muciniphila, and help it thrive in a few different ways.

You see…microbes have unique needs and (dare I say) personalities, and this microbe in particular is akin to certain prebiotics, such as resistant starches and polyphenols.

For example, A. muciniphila thrives on red polyphenols, such as red grapes, red apple skin, pomegranate, and dragon fruit, as well as the resistant starches from grains like red quinoa.

Plus, as it’s name (muciniphila), signifies that it eats mucin or intestinal mucous.

Therefore, it is one of the few microbes that increases with fasting.

Fasting can feed your microbiome?

This is a fascinating topic, on how fasting can support your microbiota. Throughout history, fasting has been utilized to optimize health

If you want to learn more about this topic, I had the pleasure in geeking out on the benefits of fasting on the microbiome, and dove deep into Akkermansia muciniphila with Susannah Juteau M.Sc. RD Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in her Fasting for Freedom Summit.

If you want to catch this Summit while it is available for FREE

I was interviewed along with many other fabulous speakers, just register by clicking here, Fasting for Freedom Summit

Learn more on how to feed your beneficial microbes…

Since I am passionate about this topic, I created a unique digital course on how to feed your unique microbiome

This 2 hour course is broken into 6 videos to make it more “digestible,” plus for a limited time I am offering the first video, Microbiome Medicine 101, for FREE.

You can learn more at this link: The 4 Pillar Program to Feed Your Microbiome & Reset Your Health