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.