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aXivite®: Connecting the Gut with Weight Management and Muscle Health

The amount of research on gut health has grown significantly in the past decade. The connection between the gut and other health conditions is often called the Gut___-Axis. The “blank” space indicates a link between gut health and areas such as metabolic, brain, joint, skin, immune, muscle health and many more. The new and cutting-edge nutraceutical ingredient aXivite® has shown in clinical studies to impact three specific areas of gut, metabolic and muscle health.   When we look at these three, we can see that they may even form a “health triangle” where each may be connected.

Gut Health

Several factors play a role in gut health and its connection to the Gut___-axis.  Examples would be having enough good, or beneficial, microorganisms helping to suppress or eliminate harmful microorganisms, decreasing gut inflammation, and improving the strength of the intestinal lining, or intestinal permeability.

For those unfamiliar with “quorum-sensing”, it is best characterized as a means of communication within a bacterial species. In contrast, competitive or cooperative signaling can occur between groups of bacteria or between bacteria and the host. Quorum-sensing plays a significant role in the virulence of pathogenic bacteria and yeast (Candida albicans, for example).[i]  The ability to inhibit the communication between harmful microorganisms plays an essential role in reducing the virulence of the pathogenic bacteria and/or yeast and improving the microbiome.

Intestinal permeability is not necessarily bad unless the connection (tight junctions) between cells becomes too large, leading to a “leaky gut” condition. The lining of the small and large intestine is designed to be permeable to let things such as nutrients and water, into the bloodstream but to allow for waste and other toxins to continue flowing through the digestive tract for elimination. When these junctions become weakened the protein zonulin is overexpressed, widening the tight junctions and allowing particles that do not belong to flow into the bloodstream. This can trigger other more serious health concerns in the gut, skin, and the immune system, and can potentially cause fatigue, weight gain, and joint discomfort, among other things.[ii]

Recent studies using aXivite® showed that it has an effect on reducing harmful microorganisms by inhibiting quorum-sensing and improving intestinal permeability by decreasing zonulin levels. Adding aXivite® to your formulation should be considered for those looking to formulate gut health products that go beyond simply including pre & probiotics.

Gut-Metabolic-Axis

The link between the gut and metabolic health is well documented. An example is the link between dysbiosis (unhealthy balance of good and bad microorganisms) and intestinal permeability on metabolic health (weight management).[iii]  We saw earlier that aXivite® positively impacts both gut health concerns linked to weight. The same study mentioned throughout this blog also showed that aXivite® influences body composition by reducing the total body fat while keeping muscle mass. This result may be due to the gut-metabolic axis and by aXivite®’s thermogenic properties. Regardless of why or how, aXivite® is proving to be an excellent nutraceutical for the gut-metabolic axis.

Gut-Muscle-Axis

The gut-muscle-axis is relatively new to most. Recent studies have demonstrated the existence of this axis. For example, muscle function and metabolism are primarily dependent on the quantity and composition of microbiota in the gut, and that gut microbiota is expected to be a potential biological target for the prevention and treatment of muscle-related diseases, such as sarcopenia and muscular dystrophy. Gut microbiota profoundly affects skeletal muscle function and mass, and intervening in this axis may reverse the decline in skeletal muscle function and mass.[iv]

Similar to the gut-metabolic-axis rationale for why aXivite® plays a role in metabolism and weight management, we can see why aXivite® may have positively impacted muscle health and strength by intervening in the gut-muscle-axis. A recent study showed that aXivite® reduced muscle fatigue, improved recovery, improved performance, and decreased muscle damage.[v]

Summary

As more research is directed towards gut health and the gut microbiome, we see the emergence of new and innovative ingredients to assist the body with various health concerns. aXivite® is a perfect example of this. While the exact mechanism of action has not yet been explicitly identified, aXivite® has been linked to a multifaceted impact on gut health. For those seeking to create innovative products with an “outside the box feel,” adding aXivite® to your formulation will cast a broader net and appeal to more consumers.