Pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila Muc^T for weight loss maintenance in people with overweight and obesity: a...

Preclinical research suggests that the mucosal symbiont Akkermansia muciniphila prevents diet-induced obesity. In this randomized controlled trial, adults with overweight/obesity (n = 90) underwent an 8-week low-energy diet for ≥8% weight loss, followed by a 24-week healthy ad libitum diet with daily supplementation of pasteurized A. muciniphila Muc^T or placebo. The primary outcome was change in body weight during the maintenance period. Here we show that Muc^T led to lower body weight regain versus placebo at the end of the weight maintenance period (Muc^T: 1.2 ± 0.7 kg, placebo: 3.2 ± 0.4 kg, P = 0.012). Additionally, the Muc^T group had a greater net weight loss from baseline to end of maintenance than the placebo group (3.1 ± 0.7 kg, P = 0.009). Initial Akkermansia spp. abundance was associated with cardiometabolic response to Muc^T. No serious adverse events related to the treatment were observed. The relative short-term intervention and absence of groups receiving modified strains of Muc^T lacking active components are limitations that should be addressed in the future. Our findings suggest pasteurized A. muciniphila Muc^T as a strategy for weight loss maintenance. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05417360 .