ECTS 2021 - Educational Symposium Windows of Opportunities for Nutrition and Bone Development

Bone development is a highly coordinated process where cellular proliferation and differentiation of skeletal cells are regulated by multiple signaling pathways. Nutrients are used for energy production and biomass synthesis. Cellular energy metabolism in skeletal cells may have regulatory roles in signaling and epigenetics. The gut microbiome regulates host biology in numerous ways, influencing immune function, neurocognitive development, linear and ponderal growth and metabolism. These processes are critical during early life, and disruptions in the microbiome are causally related to undernutrition. We found that purified bovine milk oligosaccharides (composed primarily of sialylated structures found in human breast milk) were able to alter microbial metabolites and intestinal immune responses, suggesting mechanisms of gut-bone communication. These results highlight the importance of the gut microbiota in skeletal biology and the promise of milk oligosaccharides as potential therapeutics.