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. 2022 May 9;12(5):e057989.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057989.

Association between gut MIcrobiota, GROWth and Diet in peripubertal children from the TARGet Kids! cohort (The MiGrowD) study: protocol for studying gut microbiota at a community-based primary healthcare setting

Paraskevi Massara  1   2 , Carolyn Spiegel-Feld  2 , Jill Hamilton  3   4 , Jonathon L Maguire  1   5 , Catherine Birken  1   6   7   8 , Robert Bandsma  1   2 , Elena M Comelli  9   7
Affiliations

Association between gut MIcrobiota, GROWth and Diet in peripubertal children from the TARGet Kids! cohort (The MiGrowD) study: protocol for studying gut microbiota at a community-based primary healthcare setting

Paraskevi Massara et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Introduction: The gut microbiota interacts with diet to affect body health throughout the life cycle. Critical periods of growth, such as infancy and puberty, are characterised by microbiota remodelling and changes in dietary habits. While the relationship between gut microbiota and growth in early life has been studied, our understanding of this relationship during puberty remains limited. Here, we describe the MIcrobiota, GROWth and Diet in peripubertal children (The MiGrowD) study, which aims to assess the tripartite growth-gut microbiota-diet relationship at puberty.

Methods and analysis: The MiGrowD study will be a cross-sectional, community-based study involving children 8-12 years participating in the TARGet Kids!

Cohort: TARGet Kids! is a primary healthcare practice-based research network in Canada. Children will be asked to provide a stool sample, complete two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls and a pubertal self-assessment based on Tanner Stages. Anthropometry will also be conducted. The primary outcome is the association between gut microbiota composition and longitudinal growth from birth until entry into the study. Anthropometrics data from birth will be from the data collected prospectively through TARGet Kids!. Body mass index z-scores will be calculated according to WHO. The secondary outcome is the association between gut microbiota, diet and pubertal stage.

Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approval has been obtained by the Hospital for Sick Children and St. Michael's Hospital-Unity Health, and the University of Toronto. Results will be disseminated in the public and academic sector, including participants, TARGet Kids! primary healthcare physicians teams, scientists via participation in the TARGet Kids! science and physician meetings, conferences and publications in peer-reviewed journals. The MiGrowD study results will help researchers understand the relationships underlying growth, gut microbiota and pubertal maturation in children.

Keywords: Gut microbiota; community-based primary health care setting; diet; growth; peripubertal children.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: EMC received research support from Lallemand Health Solutions and Ocean Spray, and has received consultant fees or speaker and travel support from Danone and Lallemand Health Solutions (all outside of this study).

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The conceptual framework of the MiGrowD study. The triparty relationship between gut Microbiota, GROWth and Diet. The objective of the MiGrowD study is to investigate the association between gut microbiota, growth since birth, and diet in early adolescent children in an ongoing community-based primary healthcare setting.
Figure 2
Figure 2
MiGrowD study procedures. Abbreviations: ASA24, Automated Self-Administered 24-hour; TARGet Kids!, The Applied Research Group for Kids!
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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