Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium—The bacteriumAkkermansia muciniphilamay be able to moderate the progression of pre-diabetes and reduce cholesterol levels,according to a studyconducted by a team of researchers from Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain).

A press releaseon the topic notes that the team has studied this bacteria twice previously, but only in mice—making this the first clinical study regarding the effects of Akkermansia on humans.

Researchers administered Akkermansia to overweight or obese volunteers, all of whom displayed insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. The groups taking live or pasteurized bacteria saw no side effects and found the supplements easy to ingest.

The pasteurized bacterium prevented the deterioration of the subjects’ health status, according to the press release, and decreased both inflammation markers and body weight. Cholesterol levels also lowered. The same parameters in the placebo subjects showed deterioration over the duration of the study.

The press release notes that there needs to be a large-scale study to confirm/elaborate on these results.