MUC5AC and Obesity: On the other hand, participants with lower fecal SCFA excretion had a diverse microbiome, enriched in beneficial microbes including Akkermansia muciniphila, a taxon involved in maintaining the integrity of the mucin layer [50]; Christensenellaceae, Methanobrevibacter and Oscillospira, taxa associated with lower BMI [51,52,53] and weight reduction [54]; and Alistipes and Bacteroides, bacteria that have been purported to play a role in ameliorating obesity [55].