Project Summary
This diversity supplement is for Dr. Jacqueline Hernandez, a Hispanic young female
investigator, to advance in research experience, to provide mentorship, and to obtain advanced
training via the funded parent grant entitled “MetA-Bone Trial” (grant # 5R01HD098589-03).
MetA-Bone is a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial to determine the effects of
soluble corn fiber (SCF) supplementation for one year on bone metabolism in adolescents. Dr.
Hernandez will use data collected from the parent grant to expand the current research by
evaluating the effects of soluble corn fiber on gut microbiome, gut integrity and bone associated
inflammation in adolescents. This is important to study as recent studies show that the poor
diverse gut microbiome (community of microorganisms that influence overall health) may lead
to gut integrity damage and intestinal permeability allowing the passage of bacteria that lead to
inflammation in different tissues, including bone. In addition, diet could impact the gut
microbiome diversity, and this can all influence bone formation. However, the complex
interaction between the gut microbiome, gut integrity, bone associated inflammation, bone mass,
and diet is not well understood in humans. This is particularly important during adolescence, a
stage of rapid bone growth and development in which almost half of the adult peak bone mass is
achieved. For this diversity supplement, Dr. Hernandez will expand the parent grant research to
evaluate the influence of SCF on gut microbiome diversity (measured from fecal samples), gut
integrity damage (measured from the urinary marker I-FABP) and bone associated inflammation
(measured from the urinary marker IL-17), and how these are all associated with each other and
to bone mass in the sample. The research information gathered by Dr. Hernandez will provide
important insights to lay the foundation for the development of dietary interventions in the gut,
as a promising area to improve bone health in adolescents to achieve peak bone mass and helping
in the prevention of future osteoporotic fractures. She will also engage in training and
mentorship to increase knowledge in the implementation and analysis of nutritional clinical trials
and broaden her scope of knowledge in grantsmanship by attending training workshops and
conferences on grant writing to ultimately become an independent researcher.
