One of those important discoveries happens to be a bacteria calledAkkermansia muciniphila1.
“This one bacteria has been discovered to be a guardian of our health,” Li adds.
It also seems to influence body fitness."
He references a study in which high amounts ofAkkermansiaareassociated with lower risk of obesity2.
Suffice it to say: This is one powerful gut bacteria.
Yet despite the complex nature of your gut microbiome, it’s not too difficult to promoteAkkermansianaturally.
And mucus serves as the “soil” this bacteria needs to make it thrive.
Pomegranate and pomegranate juicecontain these ellagitannins3, which have been shown tostimulate the growth ofAkkermansia4in in vitro culture studies.
You could also, of course, munch on whole pomegranate seeds.
But you’d have to eat a whole bunch of ‘em to get a meaningful amount of the juice.
As for pomegranate powders and extracts?
“That will probably work as well,” Li says.
It’s the ellagitannins in pomegranate that have the beneficial effect, which are present in pomegranate extracts.
We vetted some of the best options for youhereif you need some help navigating the market.
The takeaway
Plenty of foodscan feed the healthy microbes in your gut.
