Plain capsules in a small dish beside a glass of water

Pendulum: What You Need to Know

ByCraig Brockie Last updated

The short answer

Pendulum makes probiotics built around Akkermansia muciniphila and butyrate-producing gut bacteria. Its best-supported product is Glucose Control, which in one 12-week, company-run trial modestly improved after-meal blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes, though the A1C change narrowly missed statistical significance.

The single-strain Akkermansia product leans on preclinical studies and early human research that used a different preparation and dose. Pendulum is a reasonable thing to discuss with your doctor if you have type 2 diabetes. It is not a replacement for diabetes care, fiber-rich food or proven treatment.

Ultimate Gut is published by Ultimate Health Solutions, which sells a yogurt maker, probiotic capsules and an inulin fiber supplement. None of the products reviewed here are ours, and these brands don’t pay us.

What Pendulum sells and what’s in it

We read the product pages and label images for the two products most people search for, Pendulum Akkermansia and Pendulum Glucose Control (labels checked October 2026). Strain names below are exactly as labeled. Pendulum also sells other blends, such as Metabolic Daily, that we didn’t assess here.

Product and ingredient (as labeled)Amount per servingHuman research
Akkermansia: Akkermansia muciniphila WB-STR-0001100 million AFU (1 capsule)Pendulum cites preclinical studies for its gut-lining claims; the main human trial of A. muciniphila used other preparations at 10 billion bacteria a day
Akkermansia: chicory inulin276 mgA prebiotic fiber; inulin is one of the dietary factors linked with more Akkermansia in a 2019 review of trials
Glucose Control: proprietary blend of Clostridium butyricum WB-STR-0006, Clostridium beijerinckii WB-STR-0005, Anaerobutyricum hallii WB-STR-0008, Akkermansia muciniphila WB-STR-0001, Bifidobacterium infantis2 billion AFU per dose (2 capsules); amount of each strain not disclosedOne 12-week randomized trial in 76 adults with type 2 diabetes, funded and run by Pendulum
Glucose Control: chicory inulin and oligofructoseNot disclosedPart of the tested formula

A few label details matter. The Akkermansia bottle carries a Supplement Facts panel, holds 30 servings and is stored at room temperature. Glucose Control carries a Nutrition Facts panel instead, holds 30 servings of 2 capsules, must be kept refrigerated and says to use it only under physician supervision as part of a diabetes management plan. Pendulum counts bacteria in AFU, a different unit from the bacterial counts used in most research, so doses can’t be compared one to one.

What Pendulum claims vs what the evidence shows

Glucose Control and the 2020 trial

Pendulum’s Glucose Control page says the product lowered A1C by 0.6 and after-meal glucose spikes by 32.5%, citing Perraudeau et al. 2020 in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. Here is what that paper reports:

  • Design: 76 adults with type 2 diabetes at six US sites were randomized to placebo (26), a three-strain formula (27) or the five-strain formula, WBF-011, that Pendulum cites for Glucose Control (23) for 12 weeks. Most were already taking metformin.
  • Main result: the five-strain group improved on the primary outcome, total blood glucose over three hours after a test meal, by 36.1 mg/dL/180 min versus placebo (p = 0.05, right at the usual cutoff).
  • A1C: 0.6 lower than placebo (p = 0.054). That gap came from a 0.2 drop in the probiotic group plus a 0.4 rise in the placebo group.
  • The 32.5% figure: the median within-group drop in the incremental glucose curve after the test meal, not a cut in everyday blood sugar.
  • Limits the authors list: small size, and more dropouts on placebo (10) than on the five-strain formula (2), which left 16, 21 and 21 people in the main analysis.
  • Funding: no outside grant; all authors were employees and shareholders of Pendulum.

That is a real, placebo-controlled signal, which many probiotics lack. It is also one small proof-of-concept trial run by the company that sells the product, and it needs independent replication.

Akkermansia and “gut lining” claims

The Akkermansia page says the product fortifies the gut lining and reduces permeability, and footnotes those statements as based on preclinical studies. Its percentages for better gut health, regularity and fewer cravings come from consumer surveys of 172 and 80 people, not controlled trials. A Pendulum-funded study in rats found no toxicity from its Akkermansia powder over 90 days, which speaks to safety, not benefit.

The best-known human trial is Depommier et al. 2019 in Nature Medicine: 40 overweight or obese adults with insulin resistance enrolled and 32 finished three months of 10 billion A. muciniphila bacteria a day, live or pasteurized, or placebo. The clearest improvements, in insulin sensitivity, insulin levels and total cholesterol, came with the pasteurized form; weight changes were small and not statistically significant. Pendulum sells a live strain labeled at 100 million AFU, a different unit and preparation, so these results don’t transfer directly. A 2022 review by leading Akkermansia researchers notes that most evidence still comes from associations and animal models.

One more caution: one of Pendulum’s own product images says Akkermansia is “not intended for weight loss,” even though the page also talks about cravings.

FDA status

Pendulum Akkermansia is sold as a dietary supplement. The FDA does not have the authority to approve supplements for safety and effectiveness before they are sold.

Glucose Control is labeled for “the nutritional management of type 2 diabetes” under physician supervision, wording associated with medical foods, which the FDA defines as foods used under a physician’s supervision for the dietary management of a disease with distinctive nutritional requirements. In its 2023 medical foods guidance, which is nonbinding, the FDA says it does not consider diabetes a condition for which a medical food could be labeled and marketed. How that applies to any one product is the FDA’s call; we’re reporting what the documents say.

Price per serving

Both labels show 30 servings. In October 2026 Pendulum’s product pages listed Akkermansia at $54 for a one-month supply, about $1.80 per capsule, and Glucose Control at $99 for a one-month supply, about $3.30 per two-capsule serving. Membership, multi-month and promotional pricing change these figures, so check the page before ordering.

Who it may suit and who should skip it

It may suit you if:

  • You have type 2 diabetes, your treatment is stable, and you and your doctor want to try an add-on with one randomized trial behind it.
  • You are curious about Akkermansia, understand the evidence is early and are comfortable with the cost.

Skip it, or talk to a doctor first, if:

  • You take diabetes medicines. Glucose Control’s label calls for physician supervision, and any change in blood sugar should be tracked with your care team. Never cut back medication on your own.
  • You are seriously ill or immunocompromised. The NCCIH says the risk of harmful effects from probiotics is greater in people with severe illnesses or weakened immune systems.
  • You are pregnant or breastfeeding. Pendulum’s FAQ says Akkermansia hasn’t been studied in pregnant or breastfeeding women.
  • You want weight loss. That isn’t what the products are labeled for.

Pendulum’s FAQ also notes that some people get gas, bloating, nausea or loose stools in the first two weeks.

Alternatives, including food

Polyphenol-rich foods: berries, pomegranate, green tea and oats

Feed the Akkermansia you already have. A 2019 systematic review of 29 dietary trials (1,444 people) found that calorie restriction and supplements of pomegranate extract, resveratrol, inulin and a few other fibers raised A. muciniphila levels in some studies, while a low-FODMAP diet lowered them. The authors say more research is needed. A 2022 review adds that polyphenols such as anthocyanins and flavan-3-ols raise Akkermansia in animal and some human studies, with responses varying by person; one author founded an Akkermansia company.

Akkermansia is also a marker, not just a target. In a French study of 49 overweight adults, people with more Akkermansia at the start had healthier blood sugar and fat distribution and did better on a calorie-restricted diet. That is an association, not proof that adding it causes the benefit.

Fiber and fermented foods. In a Stanford trial of 36 healthy adults, a 10-week diet rich in fermented foods, including yogurt, kefir and kimchi, increased microbiome diversity and lowered inflammatory markers. Our guides to fiber supplements, probiotic foods and yogurt for probiotics cover practical options, and kefir is another live-culture food.

Other probiotics. If a general probiotic is what you’re after, our best probiotic comparison ranks strains by the human evidence for specific needs.

This article is general information, not medical advice.

Sources

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing your diet, supplements or medication, especially if you have a health condition.

Craig Brockie is the founder of Ultimate Health Solutions, the company behind Ultimate Gut, and the author of Ultimate Health, The Ultimate Gut Health Guide and The Unlimited Probiotics Guide. After injuries and chronic health problems in his twenties that conventional care didn’t resolve, he began researching health on his own and has studied natural health for 30 years. He is not a medical professional, and his articles are general information, not medical advice.

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