Diabetes and obesity affect millions of people around the world. Now, a new scientific breakthrough may have found a way to prevent both diseases. A team of researchers led by Patrice Cani from WELBIO , an interuniversity research institute for life sciences based in Leuven (Belgium), has been studying a bacterium called Akkermansia muciniphila for 10 years. This bacterium is one of the most common, as it represents 1-5% of the intestinal microbiota.
Scientists have shown, for the first time, that this bacterium can be crucial in the fight against obesity and type 2 diabetes thanks to a protein that is able to stop the development of both diseases.
To reach this conclusion, the experts conducted experiments on mice, isolating Akkermansia muciniphila . The levels of this bacterium were lower in obese rodents than in those of normal weight . Furthermore, they also administered an Akkermansia- based treatment to a group of mice, which eventually reversed various metabolic disorders.
The researchers decided to produce this bacterium and test it in humans. The trials have been taking place since December 2015 at the Saint-Luc clinics of the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium)
So far, they have shown that the use of the bacteria in humans is safe , accidentally discovering that pasteurization has positive effects on the bacteria: “Unexpectedly, we discovered that pasteurization of A. muciniphila improved its ability to reduce the development of the bacterium. fat mass, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia in mice, ”says Cani. Its effectiveness had doubled.
In order to understand why the bacteria were made so effective by pasteurization, they isolated a protein that can be found on the outer membrane of the bacteria. Thus, with the help of genetic engineering, the scientists produced the Amuc_1100 protein and tested it in rodents. The result showed that this protein was as effective in stopping diabetes and obesity as pasteurized bacteria.
The study has been published in the journal Nature Medicine.
