Yogurt Benefits Bone Mineralization in Ovariectomized Rats with Concomitant Modulation of the Gut Microbiome

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Microbiology
• Bone Biology

Background:

• Gut-modulating foods may mitigate bone loss in postmenopausal women.
• Understanding the gut-bone axis is crucial for bone health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of calcium-fortified milk and yogurt, with or without inulin, on the gut-bone axis in an ovariectomized rat model.

Main Methods:

• A 6-week intervention using calcium-fortified milk (M-Ca), yogurt (Y-Ca), yogurt with inulin (Y-I-Ca), or calcium carbonate (Ca-N) in ovariectomized rats.
• Assessment of bone mineral density, content, femur strength, and microstructure.
• Serum metabolomic analysis and gut microbiome profiling.

Main Results:

• Yogurt with calcium (Y-Ca) increased spine bone mineral density (BMD) compared to calcium carbonate (Ca-N).
• Y-Ca modulated glycine-related metabolic pathways and altered gut microbiota composition (increased Lactobacilli, decreased Clostridiaceae).
• Inulin fortification of yogurt (Y-I-Ca) did not yield additional bone benefits despite changes in specific gut bacteria and short-chain fatty acids.

Conclusions:

• Yogurt serves as an effective calcium vehicle, enhancing spine BMD through gut microbiome and metabolic pathway modulation.
• Inulin addition to yogurt does not further improve bone mineralization in this model.
• The gut-bone association is influenced by specific fermented dairy components and their impact on host metabolism.