Diet, anthropometric measurements, sleep quality and fecal levels of Akkermansia muciniphila: a cross-sectional study in older adults
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14306/renhyd.30.1.2596%20Keywords:
Diet, Akkermansia, Sleep quality, older adults, Body Mass IndexAbstract
Introduction: Akkermansia muciniphila is a mucin-degrading bacterium that has been linked to metabolic and gut-barrier health, yet population-specific data are scarce in Latin America. No Peruvian study has examined how diet and other factors relate to its fecal levels. This study aimed to evaluate the association between dietary intake, anthropometric measurements, sleep quality, and fecal levels of A. muciniphila in a specific population of older Peruvian adults.
Methods: In this cross-sectional analytical study, 111 older adults (≥ 60 years) residing in Lima, Peru, were recruited. Absolute A. muciniphila levels (Log10 copies g⁻¹ stool) were determined by real-time PCR. Dietary intake was assessed with a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire covering 54 foods, grouped into four consumption categories (daily, weekly, monthly, none). Anthropometric measurements, sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI) and sociodemographic variables were also recorded. Group differences were tested with t-tests or one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s HSD; effect sizes were expressed as Cohen’s d or ω2.
Results: A. muciniphila was quantifiable in 69 of the 111 participants (62%), with fecal abundance ranging across four logarithmic units (Log10 4.3–9.4 copies g-1). In the analysis restricted to participants positive for the bacterium (69/111), monthly consumption of dried split peas (Pisum sativum) and canary beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) was positively associated with higher A. muciniphila levels (p < 0.05; ω2 = 0.11), whereas weekly consumption or the absence of intake of these foods showed no association. Moreover, no significant associations were observed with body mass index (BMI), waist or calf circumference, sleep quality, medication use, or other sociodemographic variables.
Conclusions: In this first Peruvian study linking diet to A. muciniphila, monthly consumption of specific legumes was positively associated with its fecal levels. No associations were observed with anthropometric or sociodemographic factors. These findings highlight the potential dietary influence on beneficial gut microbes in older adults and underscore the need for longitudinal and metagenomic studies across broader Peruvian populations.
Downloads
References
1. Montano M, Oursler KK, Marconi VC. Healthy aging: Linking causal mechanisms with holistic outcomes. Aging Cell. 2023;23(1):e14065, doi: 10.1111/acel.14065
2. Moran-Ramos S, Lopez-Contreras BE, Villarruel-Vazquez R, Ocampo-Medina E, Macias-Kauffer L, Martinez-Medina JN, et al. Environmental and intrinsic factors shaping gut microbiota composition and diversity and its relation to metabolic health in children and early adolescents: A population-based study. Gut Microbes. 2020 ;11(4):900–17, doi: 10.1080/19490976.2020.1712985.
3. Chen H, Jiao J, Wei M, Jiang X, Yang R, Yu X, et al. Metagenomic analysis of the interaction between the gut microbiota and colorectal cancer: a paired-sample study based on the GMrepo database. Gut Pathog. 2022;14(1):48, doi: 10.1186/s13099-022-00527-8.
4. Ioannou A, Berkhout MD, Geerlings SY, Belzer C. Akkermansia muciniphila: biology, microbial ecology, host interactions and therapeutic potential. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2025;23(3):162–77, doi: 10.1038/s41579-024-01106-1.
5. Derrien M, Vaughan EE, Plugge CM, De Vos WM. Akkermansia muciniphila gen. nov., sp. nov., a human intestinal mucin-degrading bacterium. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2004;54(5):1469–76, doi: 10.1099/ijs.0.02873-0.
6. Derrien M, Collado MC, Ben-Amor K, Salminen S, de Vos WM. The Mucin Degrader Akkermansia muciniphila Is an Abundant Resident of the Human Intestinal Tract. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2008;74(5):1646–8, doi: 10.1128/AEM.01226-07.
7. Verhoog S, Taneri PE, Roa Díaz ZM, Marques-Vidal P, Troup JP, Bally L, et al. Dietary Factors and Modulation of Bacteria Strains of Akkermansia muciniphila and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2019;11(7):1565, doi: 10.3390/nu11071565.
8. Pellegrino A, Coppola G, Santopaolo F, Gasbarrini A, Ponziani FR. Role of Akkermansia in Human Diseases: From Causation to Therapeutic Properties. Nutrients. 2023;15(8):1815, doi: 10.3390/nu15081815.
9. Niu H, Zhou M, Zogona D, Xing Z, Wu T, Chen R, et al. Akkermansia muciniphila: a potential candidate for ameliorating metabolic diseases. Front Immunol. 2024;15:1370658, 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1370658.
10. Aja E, Zeng A, Gray W, Connelley K, Chaganti A, Jacobs JP. Health Effects and Therapeutic Potential of the Gut Microbe Akkermansia muciniphila. Nutrients. 2025;17(3):562, doi: 10.3390/nu17030562.
11. Zeng SY, Liu YF, Liu JH, Zeng ZL, Xie H, Liu JH. Potential Effects of Akkermansia Muciniphila in Aging and Aging-Related Diseases: Current Evidence and Perspectives. Aging Dis. 2023 ;14(6):2015–27, doi: 10.14336/AD.2023.0325.
12. Collado MC, Derrien M, Isolauri E, de Vos WM, Salminen S. Intestinal Integrity and Akkermansia muciniphila, a Mucin-Degrading Member of the Intestinal Microbiota Present in Infants, Adults, and the Elderly. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2007;73(23):7767–70, doi: 10.1128/AEM.01477-07.
13. Frugé AD, Van Der Pol W, Rogers LQ, Morrow CD, Tsuruta Y, Demark-Wahnefried W. Fecal Akkermansia muciniphila Is Associated with Body Composition and Microbiota Diversity in Overweight and Obese Women with Breast Cancer Participating in a Presurgical Weight Loss Trial. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2020;120(4):650–9, doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2018.08.164.
14. Zhou Q, Zhang Y, Wang X, Yang R, Zhu X, Zhang Y, et al. Gut bacteria Akkermansia is associated with reduced risk of obesity: evidence from the American Gut Project. Nutr Metab. 2020;17:90, doi: 10.1186/s12986-020-00516-1.
15. Zhou Q, Pang G, Zhang Z, Yuan H, Chen C, Zhang N, et al. Association Between Gut Akkermansia and Metabolic Syndrome is Dose-Dependent and Affected by Microbial Interactions: A Cross-Sectional Study. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes Targets Ther. 2021;14:2177–88, doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S311388.
16. Salazar N, Arboleya S, Fernández-Navarro T, de los Reyes-Gavilán CG, Gonzalez S, Gueimonde M. Age-Associated Changes in Gut Microbiota and Dietary Components Related with the Immune System in Adulthood and Old Age: A Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1765, doi: 10.3390/nu11081765.
17. Aguilar Esenarro L, Contreras Rojas M, Del Canto y Dorador J, Vílchez Dávila W. Guía técnica para la valoración nutricional antropométrica de la persona adulta mayor [Internet]. Ministerio de Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud; 2013. Disponible en: https://alimentacionsaludable.ins.gob.pe/sites/default/files/2017-02/GuiaAntropometricaAdulto.pdf
18. Gonzalez MC, Mehrnezhad A, Razaviarab N, Barbosa-Silva TG, Heymsfield SB. Calf circumference: cutoff values from the NHANES 1999–2006. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;113(6):1679–87, doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab029.
19. Monsalve Álvarez. JM, González Zapata LI. Diseño de un cuestionario de frecuencia para evaluar ingesta alimentaria en la Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia. Nutr Hosp. 2011;(6):1333–44.
20. Mamani-Urrutia V, Dominguez-Curi CH, Sosa-Macalupu MA, Torres-Vicharra LF. Estudio exploratorio sobre conocimientos y frecuencia de consumo de productos procesados y ultraprocesados en estudiantes universitarios de Perú. Rev Esp Nutr Comunitaria. 2022;28(1):1–11.
21. Ruiz Guillén AG, Salvatierra Ruiz RV, Domínguez Curi CH. Almuerzos familiares saludables Lima 2023 [Internet]. 2023 [citado 22 de noviembre de 2023]. Disponible en: https://www.gob.pe/institucion/ins/informes-publicaciones/4221510-almuerzos-familiares-saludables-lima-2023
22. Solís YL, Arana YR, Palacios YA. Validación del Índice de Calidad de Sueño de Pittsburgh en una muestra peruana. An Salud Ment. 2015;31(2):23–30.
23. Anderson JR, Carroll I, Azcarate-Peril MA, Rochette AD, Heinberg LJ, Peat C, et al. A preliminary examination of gut microbiota, sleep, and cognitive flexibility in healthy older adults. Sleep Med. 2017;38:104–7, doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2017.07.018.
24. Osman MA, Neoh H min, Ab Mutalib NS, Chin SF, Mazlan L, Raja Ali RA, et al. Parvimonas micra, Peptostreptococcus stomatis, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Akkermansia muciniphila as a four-bacteria biomarker panel of colorectal cancer. Sci Rep. 2021;11:2925, doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-82465-0.
25. Sezgin E, Terlemez G, Bozkurt B, Bengi G, Akpinar H, Büyüktorun İ. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of bacterial biomarkers enable fast and accurate monitoring in inflammatory bowel disease. PeerJ. 2022;10:e14217, doi: 10.7717/peerj.14217.
26. Browning LM, Hsieh SD, Ashwell M. A systematic review of waist-to-height ratio as a screening tool for the prediction of cardiovascular disease and diabetes: 0·5 could be a suitable global boundary value. Nutr Res Rev. 2010;23(2):247–69, doi: 10.1017/S0954422410000144.
27. Mbiu J, Assefa T, Mukankusi C, Rubyogo JC, Philipo M. Consumer traits of common beans: a global and regional perspective on seed coat darkening, cooking time, protein, and mineral content. Front Nutr. 2025;12:1658338, doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1658338.
28. Wu DT, Li WX, Wan JJ, Hu YC, Gan RY, Zou L. A Comprehensive Review of Pea (Pisum sativum L.): Chemical Composition, Processing, Health Benefits, and Food Applications. Foods. 2023;12(13):2527, 10.3390/foods12132527.
29. Rejeski JJ, Wilson FM, Nagpal R, Yadav H, Weinberg RB. The Impact of a Mediterranean Diet on the Gut Microbiome in Healthy Human Subjects: A Pilot Study. Digestion. 2021;103(2):133–40, doi: 10.1159/000519445
30. Hughes J, Pearson E, Grafenauer S. Legumes—A Comprehensive Exploration of Global Food-Based Dietary Guidelines and Consumption. Nutrients. 2022;14(15):3080, doi: 10.3390/nu14153080.
31. Rodríguez-Lara A, Plaza-Díaz J, López-Uriarte P, Vázquez-Aguilar A, Reyes-Castillo Z, Álvarez-Mercado AI. Fiber Consumption Mediates Differences in Several Gut Microbes in a Subpopulation of Young Mexican Adults. Nutrients. 2022;14(6):1214, doi: 10.3390/nu14061214.
32. Olsson LM, Boulund F, Nilsson S, Khan MT, Gummesson A, Fagerberg L, et al. Dynamics of the normal gut microbiota: A longitudinal one-year population study in Sweden. Cell Host Microbe. 2022;30(5):726-739.e3, doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2022.03.002.
33. Biagi E, Franceschi C, Rampelli S, Severgnini M, Ostan R, Turroni S, et al. Gut Microbiota and Extreme Longevity. Curr Biol. 2016;26(11):1480–5, doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.04.016.
34. Qu S, Zheng Y, Huang Y, Feng Y, Xu K, Zhang W, et al. Excessive consumption of mucin by over-colonized Akkermansia muciniphila promotes intestinal barrier damage during malignant intestinal environment. Front Microbiol. 2023;14:1111911.
35. Dao MC, Belda E, Prifti E, Everard A, Kayser BD, Bouillot JL, et al. Akkermansia muciniphila abundance is lower in severe obesity, but its increased level after bariatric surgery is not associated with metabolic health improvement. Am J Physiol-Endocrinol Metab. 2019;317(3):E446–59, doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00140.2019.
36. Tavassol ZH, Ejtahed HS, Atlasi R, Saghafian F, Khalagi K, Hasani-Ranjbar S, et al. Alteration in Gut Microbiota Composition of Older Adults Is Associated with Obesity and Its Indices: A Systematic Review. J Nutr Health Aging. 2023;27(10):817–23, doi: 10.1007/s12603-023-1988-8.
37. Rubino F, Cummings DE, Eckel RH, Cohen RV, Wilding JPH, Brown WA, et al. Definition and diagnostic criteria of clinical obesity. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2025;13(3):221–62, doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(24)00316-4.
38. Haimov I, Magzal F, Tamir S, Lalzar M, Asraf K, Milman U, et al. Variation in Gut Microbiota Composition is Associated with Sleep Quality and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults with Insomnia. Nat Sci Sleep. 2022;14:1753–67, doi: 10.2147/NSS.S377114.
39. Brown D. Do Food Frequency Questionnaires Have Too Many Limitations? J Am Diet Assoc. 2006;106(10):1541–2, doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2006.07.020.
40. Lerma-Aguilera AM, Pérez-Burillo S, Navajas-Porras B, León ED, Ruíz-Pérez S, Pastoriza S, et al. Effects of different foods and cooking methods on the gut microbiota: an in vitro approach. Front Microbiol. 2024;14:1334623, doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1334623.
41. Johnson AJ, Mueller NT. Can data-driven approaches for dietary pattern assessment improve microbiome epidemiology research? Am J Clin Nutr. 2022;115(2):329–31, doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab386.
42. Zhai R, Xue X, Zhang L, Yang X, Zhao L, Zhang C. Strain-Specific Anti-inflammatory Properties of Two Akkermansia muciniphila Strains on Chronic Colitis in Mice. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2019;9:239, doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00239.
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Fernando Tume, Edgardo J. Palma-Gutierrez, Víctor Mamani-Urrutia, Fanny Requena, Joaquim Ruiz
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This journal 