Two Paths to the Same Signal: How Gut Bacteria and Dietary Fats Both Influence the Body’s Natural GLP-1

Feeling full after a meal is shaped by several complex factors, including hormones released by the gut, nerve signals, and ongoing communication between the gut and the brain. As food moves through the digestive tract, those nerve signals communicate with the brain about how much has been eaten and when to stop. One of the most well-known hormones involved in this process is glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which has gained a lot of recent attention in the pharmaceutical world. However, GLP-1 is also a hormone the body makes on its own, which is released from the gut after eating to help signal fullness and support healthy blood sugar metabolism by slowing gastric emptying.

Beyond the amount of food we eat, the body's natural GLP-1 activity is also influenced by the bacteria in our gut and certain dietary fats we consume. Two examples are the beneficial gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) and a compound called oleoylethanolamide (OEA) that the body makes from oleic acid-rich fats. Understanding how each one works offers insight into ways to support satiety and overall metabolic health.*

What Is GLP-1 and How Does the Body Make It?

GLP-1 is a hormone made by specialized cells in the lining of the intestines that sense food as it moves through the gut. When we eat, those cells respond to the food in our meal by releasing GLP-1 into the bloodstream. From there, GLP-1 works to slow down how quickly the stomach empties that food, helping us feel satiated for longer. GLP-1 alsoacts on the hypothalamus and other appetite-regulating areas of the brain to promote satiety, while helping support healthy blood sugar metabolism.

GLP-1 has a half-life of only a few minutes, as the body metabolizes it very quickly after its release. As a result, the gut relies on ongoing signals throughout the day, including those shaped by specific gut bacteria and certain dietary fats, to help maintain feelings of fullness.

The Gut Bacteria and Metabolic Health Connection

The trillions of bacteria living in the gut do more than aid digestion, as they alsohelp regulate appetite and how the body uses the food we eat. Researchers continue to explore the emerging gut bacteria and metabolic health connection, including how certain microbes influence the body's natural GLP-1 activity.

Because the body is unable to digest fiber on its own, fiber travels to the large intestine, where gut bacteria ferment it into compounds called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Preclinical research has shown that certain SCFAs, particularly acetate and propionate,stimulate the body's own GLP-1 activity, linking the fiber we eat with the body's fullness signals. Eating a wide variety offiber-rich foods, such as beans, oats, vegetables, and fruit, feeds the bacteria that make SCFAs. Certain gut bacteria, such as A. muciniphila, also communicate with the gut lining in more direct ways.

How Does Akkermansia Influence the Body’s Natural GLP-1 Activity?*

A. muciniphila is a beneficial bacterium that lives in the mucus layer lining the intestines and uses that mucus as its main source of fuel. As the bacterium feeds, the gut responds by producing new mucus-producing cells, which may help maintain a strong gut barrier.* Breaking down mucus also allows the bacterium to produce SCFAs and release sugars that feed other beneficial bacteria.* A healthy population of this single species is linked to a more diverse gut and healthy metabolic function. As a result, researchers often refer to it as a keystone species, which is a microbe whose influence on the surrounding gut community is far greater than its numbers alone might suggest.

When it comes to feeling full after meals, A. muciniphila may support the body's natural GLP-1 activity in two ways:*

• Short-chain fatty acids: Like those produced from dietary fiber, the SCFAs that A. muciniphila produces may help support the body's natural GLP-1 activity.* Because SCFAs alsonourish the cells lining the digestive tract, A. muciniphila may support both feelings of fullness and a healthy gut.*
• A protein called P9: Preclinical research has shown that A. muciniphilareleases a protein called P9, which communicates directly with the gut lining to support the body's natural GLP-1 activity.* Combined with the SCFAs it produces, P9 allows A. muciniphila to support feelings of fullness through more than one route.*

How Does OEA Support Normal Feelings of Fullness?*

OEA is a messenger molecule made by the cells lining the small intestine, which use oleic acid from foods like olive oil, avocados, and nuts as its main building block. As a result,OEA production rises sharply after an oleic acid-rich meal. Once produced, OEA helps the gut communicate with the brain about appetite and fullness.*

While studies on OEA and GLP-1 are just beginning to come out, early lab research suggests OEA mayact on cells in the gut lining that help regulate the body's natural GLP-1 activity.* A recent clinical study showed that OEA supplementation increased the body's natural GLP-1 production by roughly 25% compared with placebo at key points after eating, and participants taking OEA went on to eat less during a later meal.*

Beyond GLP-1 activity, OEA may also stimulate nerve signals between the gut and brain and slow how quickly the stomach empties, helping the body feel full longer.* With these signals working alongside GLP-1, OEA supplementation has also been shown to help quiet hunger and help reduce between-meal snacking.*

Where Akkermansia and OEA Meet

Although gut bacteria and dietary fats influence fullness in different ways, the two paths are closely connected. OEA supplementation has been shown in clinical trials to promote the growth of A. muciniphila in the gut.* Therefore, OEA may support the body's natural GLP-1 activity both directly and indirectly, by acting on the gut lining itself and by promoting the growth of A. muciniphila.* Because each path works differently, pairing Akkermansia with OEA may offer broader support for normal satiety signaling and metabolic health than either one alone.* However, Akkermansia and OEA have not yet been studied together, and more research is needed to understand how the two work in combination.

Where Supplementation Fits In

While diet and daily habits provide the foundation for healthy satiety and metabolic health, supplementation may offer additional support.* An Akkermansia probiotic delivers live A. muciniphila directly to the gut, where it may support a healthy gut barrier and the body's natural GLP-1 activity.* Additionally, an OEA supplement is typically taken shortly before meals, allowing it to work alongside the body's own mealtime signals.* For those looking for a supplement to support normal appetite signaling and help quiet hunger, OEA promotes satiety to help reduce between-meal snacking.*

Used together, Akkermansia and OEA form a multi-pathway supplement that may be especially helpful during and after weight-management programs, including the maintenance stage or when appetite begins to return after a period of suppressed caloric intake.* OEA may also help promote normal appetite signaling, while Akkermansia and OEA may both support healthy body composition.* As with any new supplement routine, talk with your health-care practitioner about whether Akkermansia and OEA are a good fit for your needs.

Key Takeaways

• GLP-1 is a hormone made in the gut lining and released after meals to help signal fullness and support healthy blood sugar metabolism.
• When gut bacteria ferment fiber, they produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that have been shown primarily in preclinical studies to stimulate the body's own GLP-1 activity.
• The beneficial bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila may support a strong gut barrier and the body's natural GLP-1 activity through SCFAs and a protein called P9.*
• Made in the small intestine from oleic acid, OEA may support the body's natural GLP-1 activity and the growth of A. muciniphila.*
• OEA may also support fullness through gut–brain nerve signals and slower stomach emptying, while helping promote satiety to reduce between-meal snacking.*
• Fiber-rich foods and oleic acid-rich foods like olive oil, avocados, and nuts help support both beneficial gut bacteria and OEA production.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.