Osteoporosis
A total of 42 participants will be recruited into the study, with 21 premenopausal women (aged 18–40 years) and 21 postmenopausal women (≥5 years post-menopause, aged 60 years and older). Each participant’s involvement will be limited to one screening visit and one study visit. The total duration of the study is expected to be 36 months. Visit 1 - Health Screening: Participants will be recruited from the healthy volunteer database at the NIHR Imperial Clinical Research Facility. Potential participants will be identified based on a database search using the inclusion/exclusion criteria of the study. Identified individuals will be sent a letter that briefly describes the study. A contact number and email on the letter will enable potential participants to contact the research team at Imperial College. Participants will also be recruited from poster adverts placed around Imperial College London and Imperial NHS Trust sites. A contact number and email on the poster will enable potential participants to contact the research team at Imperial College. These individuals will be invited to attend the NIHR Imperial Clinical Research Facility at Hammersmith Hospital, where their eligibility for the study will be assessed. Informed consent will be obtained. Individuals will have a blood test (HbA1c), and height and weight measurements will also be taken. Women of childbearing potential will complete a urinary pregnancy test. The screening visit will take approximately 1 hour. Lifestyle behaviour measurements: If eligible, participants will receive a wearable physical activity monitor (Alsamman et al., 2022), which will be worn continuously for 7 consecutive days on the wrist or waist using an adjustable strap. The device will objectively record physical activity levels, sedentary behaviour, sleep patterns, and heart rate. Participants will also be asked to record their dietary intake over the same 7-day period using the Intake24 online dietary assessment tool (https://intak
1. Premenopausal women aged 18-40 years 2. Postmenopausal women (≥5 years post menopause) aged 60 years and older 3. Healthy individuals without chronic diseases or conditions that significantly impact the gut microbiome, metabolism, or bone health (e.g., diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, etc.) 4. HbA1c <48 mmol/mol 5. Individuals with a BMI between 18.5 and 30 kg/m² (normal weight to overweight)
1. Non-English speakers 2. Individuals with chronic diseases that affect the gut microbiome, metabolic health or bone metabolism (e.g. type 1 or 2 diabetes, bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome, osteoporosis, etc) 3. HbA1c ≥48 mmol/mol 4. Individuals with a BMI less than 18.5 kg/m² (underweight) or greater than 30 kg/m² (obesity) 5. Medications and dietary supplements in the last 3 months that would impact trial outcomes: 5.1. Antibiotics 5.2. Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) 5.3. Laxatives & Antidiarrheals 5.4. Immunosuppressants 5.5. Metformin 5.6. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs 5.7. Bisphosphonates 5.8. Estrogen and/or progesterone (Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)) 5.9. Denosumab 5.10. Anabolic steroids 5.11. Teriparatide 5.12. Thyroid medication 5.13. Dietary fibre, prebiotic or probiotic supplements 6. Known congenital or acquired bone disease other than osteopenia (including osteomalacia, hyperparathyroidism, Paget’s disease) 7. History of major psychiatric illness 8. Drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week on a regular basis 9. Consumption of recreational drugs 10. Current smokers (daily) 11. Pregnancy 12. Not involved in other research projects in the previous 12 weeks