Unintended side effects: Antibiotic disruption of the gut microbiome dysregulates skeletal health

Diet and exercise regulate the accrual of bone mass, but some evidence suggests the microbiome may also play a role. Researchers examined how the gut microbiome impacts skeletal health and what happens when the system is perturbed. They showed that antibiotic disruption of the gut microbiota induced a pro-inflammatory response that led to increased osteoclast activity and suppressed bone mass accrual in the post-pubertal developing skeleton.