Berberine is a powerful tool that's been trusted for centuries. Akkermansia is different. It's not something we've added to the picture, it's something that's been living in us all along. We've only recently discovered that people with better metabolic health often have more of it. ^1-4

If that's all the time you have, that's our short answer.

But if you're someone who likes to understand the science behind your supplements, this article will unpack everything you need to know about berberine and Akkermansia, and why both have earned a place in the metabolic health conversation....

For years, berberine has been a go-to ingredient for metabolic health. But more recently, advances in gut microbiome science have uncovered a new player: Akkermansia muciniphila, a beneficial bacterium increasingly recognised for its role in metabolic health.

Berberine has earned its reputation through centuries of traditional use. Akkermansia is different.  It was only discovered in 2004,¹ but researchers have already identified it as one of the standout bacteria associated with metabolic health and exceptional longevity.²

Researchers first noticed that people with higher levels of Akkermansia tended to have better metabolic health and were less likely to experience many of the health concerns linked to metabolic dysfunction.^2-4

Since then, it has taken more than two decades of research to learn how to grow, study, and clinically investigate this next-generation probiotic. Today, both Akkermansia and berberine are attracting attention for metabolic health support, but they work in very different ways.

• Berberine is a natural plant compound.
• Akkermansia muciniphila is a beneficial bacterium that lives in the gut.

Think of it this way:

• Berberine works directly on pathways involved in blood sugar regulation, insulin function and fat metabolism.
• Akkermansia helps support the gut barrier and gut environment, which play an important role in metabolic health, appetite regulation and healthy fat metabolism.

Rather than asking which one is better, it helps to understand what each one does and why some people may choose one approach over the other.

Understanding Berberine: The Basics

Berberine is a natural compound found in several plants. It has been widely studied for its role in metabolic health, especially in people who have higher blood sugar levels or insulin resistance.

This means that in people who are currently dealing with these kinds of problems, the benefits of berberine are the strongest in research. ^12,13

Researchers believe many of its benefits come from helping reduce fat stored where it shouldn't be, such as in the liver, allowing metabolism to function more efficiently.¹

What Does Berberine Do, and How Does it Work in the Body?

Berberine may help your body manage blood sugar, insulin, and fat metabolism more efficiently.^5-13 By helping reduce excess fat stored around important organs, it can support healthier metabolic function and help your body work more effectively when taken consistently over 3 to 12 months.^12-13

Research suggests berberine may help ^5-13:

• Support healthy glucose metabolism
• Reduce inflammation linked to metabolic dysfunction
• Support healthy cholesterol metabolism
• Improve energy metabolism within muscle and fat tissue

When Should You Use Berberine and When Shouldn’t You

Berberine can be a powerful option for metabolic health, but it isn't right for everyone. As a strong antimicrobial, it may affect beneficial gut bacteria. It can also interact with many medications and impact the effectiveness of certain medications.

Akkermansia offers a different approach. As a postbiotic, it can support metabolic health through the gut microbiome. It's also generally considered to be less complicated when it comes to taking Akkermansia alongside medications compared to taking berberine.

Is Berberine Better than Akkermansia?

Not necessarily. Clinical research suggests Akkermansia can improve insulin health to a similar degree as berberine, despite being studied in people with more severe metabolic challenges.^14,19,20

However, Akkermansia may have an advantage when it comes to maintaining weight loss and helping to reduce weight regain,¹⁶ making it a particularly exciting area of metabolic health research.

It's worth noting that comparing berberine and Akkermansia studies isn't always straightforward because the participants will likely have very different metabolic profiles, so it's a bit like comparing apples and oranges. That's why fasting insulin is one of the most useful markers to look at. It often rises before blood sugar and cholesterol become abnormal, making it one of the earliest signs of metabolic strain and a helpful way to compare metabolic improvements across different populations.

What is Akkermansia?

Akkermansia muciniphila is a beneficial bacterium that naturally lives in the gut, where it helps support the gut barrier. Rather than acting directly on metabolism, it helps foster and maintain a healthy gut environment that supports the signals involved in appetite, metabolism and weight regulation. ^{2-4, 16-18}

Why Does Gut Health Matter For Metabolism?

We often think of metabolism as calories in versus calories out. But it's much more complex than that.

The gut helps regulate many of the systems involved in metabolic health, including blood sugar balance, insulin function, and inflammation. When beneficial bacteria like Akkermansia muciniphila are present, it’s a sign of a healthier gut environment that supports metabolic balance.^{2-4, 16-18}

A healthy gut barrier helps these signals communicate effectively. Over time, poor gut health can reduce levels of protective bacteria like Akkermansia and contribute to metabolic patterns that make it harder to maintain healthy insulin function and metabolism.^{2-4, 17-19}

What Clinical Studies Show for Akkermansia.

Having a lot of Akkermansia is a clear sign of a healthy gut. But taking it as a daily supplement is also showing impressive results. In one 3-month study, overweight and obese adults took an Akkermansia supplement. At the end of the study, the results showed:¹³

• 29% improvement in how well their bodies used insulin
• 34% lower fasting insulin levels
• 8.7% drop in total cholesterol

The people in this study experienced their bodies responding so much better to their natural insulin.¹⁴  This tells us that Akkermansia helps support both gut health, insulin health, and cholesterol balance.

Akkermansia for Long-Term Weight Maintenance

One of the biggest challenges after losing weight is keeping it off, and this is where Akkermansia stands out. In a 6-month clinical study, people who lost around 11 kg regained 58% less weight when taking Akkermansia compared to a placebo.¹⁵ While some weight regain is common after dieting, those taking Akkermansia regained just 1.2 kg, compared with 3.2 kg in the placebo group. ¹⁵

Rather than seeing the weight creep back on, Akkermansia may help you hold onto more of your results and stay on track for the long term.

How to Think About Choosing

Although they're often compared, Akkermansia and berberine aren't direct competitors. Berberine works directly on metabolic pathways involved in blood sugar and insulin function. Akkermansia takes a different approach, supporting the gut environment that healthy metabolism depends on.

Because they work differently, some people choose to use them together. If you're considering either option, speak with your healthcare practitioner  about what's right for you. Ultimately, it's less about Akkermansia vs berberine and more about understanding how each can support metabolic health. Explore the science further in the articles below about Akkermansia muciniphila MucT in UltraFlora Weight & Metabolic Health with Akkermansia.

This article is general information only and is not medical advice. Speak with your healthcare practitioner about what's right for you. 

References

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2. Lozada-Martinez ID, Lozada-Martinez LM, Anaya JM. Gut microbiota in centenarians: A potential metabolic and aging regulator in the study of extreme longevity. Aging Med (Milton). 2024;7(3):406-413. Published 2024 Jun 14. doi:10.1002/agm2.12336

3.Cani PD, de Vos WM. Next-generation beneficial microbes: the case of Akkermansia muciniphila. Front Microbiol. 2017;8:1765. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2017.01765.10.

4. Ioannou A, Berkhout MD, Geerlings SY, Belzer C. Akkermansia muciniphila: biology, microbial ecology, host interactions and therapeutic potential. Nat Rev Microbiol. Published online 2024. doi:10.1038/s41579-024-01106-1.11.

5.Yu M, Alimujiang M, Hu L, Liu F, Bao Y, Yin J. Berberine alleviates lipid metabolism disorders via inhibition of mitochondrial complex I in gut and liver. Int J Biol Sci. 2021 Apr 12;17(7):1693-707. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.54604

6. Sun Y, Yuan X, Zhang F, et al. Berberine ameliorates fatty acid-induced oxidative stress in human hepatoma cells. Sci Rep. 2017 Sep 12;7(1):11340. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-11860-3

7. Sun R, Yang N, Kong B, et al. Orally administered berberine modulates hepatic lipid metabolism by altering microbial bile acid metabolism and the intestinal FXR signaling pathway. Mol Pharmacol. 2017 Feb;91(2):110-22. doi: 10.1124/mol.116.106617

8. Ren S, Ma X, Wang R, et al. Preclinical evidence of berberine on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of animal studies. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Sep 9;12:742465. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.742465

9. Guo T, Woo SL, Guo X et al. Berberine ameliorates hepatic steatosis and suppresses liver and adipose tissue inflammation in mice with diet-induced obesity. Sci Rep. 2016 Mar 3;6:22612. doi: 10.1038/srep22612

10. Zhou J, Zhou S, Tang J, et al. Protective effect of berberine on beta cells in streptozotocin- and high-carbohydrate/high-fat diet-induced diabetic rats. Eur J Pharmacol. 2009 Mar 15;606(1-3):262-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2008.12.056

11. Xu Y, Yu T, Ma G,et al. Berberine modulates deacetylation of PPARγ to promote adipose tissue remodeling and thermogenesis via AMPK/SIRT1 pathway. Int J Biol Sci. 2021 Jul 25;17(12):3173-3187. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.62556

12. Liang Y, Xu X, Yin M,et al. Effects of berberine on blood glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic literature review and a meta-analysis. Endocr J. 2019;66(1):51–63. doi: 10.1507/endocrj.ej18-010913.

13. Guo J, Chen H, Zhang X,et al. The effect of berberine on metabolic profiles in type 2 diabetic patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2021 Dec 15;2021:2074610. doi: 10.1155/2021/2074610

14. Depommier C, Everard A, Druart C, et al. Supplementation with Akkermansia muciniphila in overweight and obese human volunteers: a proof-of-concept exploratory study. Nat Med. 2019;25(7):1096-1103. doi:10.1038/s41591-019-0495-2.15.

15. Mount S, Canfora EE, Jocken JW, et al. Pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila MucT for weight loss maintenance in people with overweight and obesity: a controlled randomized trial. Nat Med. 2026.

16.Everard A, Belzer C, Geurts L, et al. Cross-talk between Akkermansia muciniphila and intestinal epithelium controls diet-induced obesity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013;110(22):9066-9071. doi:10.1073/pnas.1219451110.12.

17.Segers A, de Vos WM. Mode of action of Akkermansia muciniphila in the intestinal dialogue: role of extracellular proteins, metabolites and cell envelope components. Microbiome Res Rep. 2023;2(2):6. doi:10.20517/mrr.2023.05.13.

18.Shaheen N, Khursheed W, Gurung B, Wang S. Akkermansia muciniphila: a key player in gut microbiota-based disease modulation. Microbiol Res. 2025;301:128317. doi:10.1016/j.micres.2025.128317.14.

19. Panigrahi A, Mohanty S. Efficacy and safety of HIMABERB® Berberine on glycemic control in patients with prediabetes: double-blind, placebo-controlled, and randomized pilot trial. BMC Endocr Disord. 2023;23(1):190. Published 2023 Sep 7. doi:10.1186/s12902-023-01442-y

20. Zhao JV, Huang X, Zhang J, Chan YH, Tse HF, Blais JE. Overall and Sex-Specific Effect of Berberine on Glycemic and Insulin-Related Traits: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials J Nutr. 2023;153(10):2939-2950. doi:10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.08.016