Study of the Effects of Soy Exposure in Early Life on Bone Development and Gut Microbiota

In this project, the investigators aim to investigate the effects of soy consumption at early life on the development of gut microbiota and bone growth. The hypothesis to be tested is that early-life exposure to soy optimize bone growth via the alteration of gut microbiota composition. Clinical samples from mother-child pairs recruited into the SMART Gen Hong Kong cohort will be used to examine the association between maternal soy intake with infant gut microbiota and child's bone development. Primary outcome: Bone mineral density; dynamic bone formation parameters; messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of bone markers. Secondary outcome: Gut microbiome profile; metabolomic profile in serum, urine or feces; correlation between soy-induced gut microbiota or metabolites and bone growth. The investigators expect that early life exposure to soy will improve bone growth via gut microbiota and provide scientific evidences for the use of soy preparation in early life as a preventive measure for optimizing bone health.