{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,5]],"date-time":"2025-12-05T17:57:03Z","timestamp":1764957423070,"version":"3.46.0"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"24","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,5]],"date-time":"2025-12-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764892800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["81903313","82103835","82574085"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["81903313","82103835","82574085"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Guangzhou Science and Technology Plan Project","award":["202201011543"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["202201011543"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: The juvenile-pubertal period is a critical window for linear growth and bone mass accumulation. This study investigated the joint effects of folic acid (FA) and colostrum basic protein (CBP)-fortified milk powder on growth, bone health, and metabolic safety in juvenile mice. Methods: Three-week-old C57BL\/6J mice (n = 120) were acclimatized for 1 week and then randomly assigned to three isocaloric diet groups for an 8-week intervention starting at 4 weeks of age: Control (AIN-93M), Milk (AIN-93M + FA\/CBP-fortified milk powder), and Positive Control (AIN-93G). Body length and weight were measured twice weekly. Bone microarchitecture was assessed by micro-computed tomography, and bone remodeling was evaluated through histology and serum biomarkers. The GH\u2013IGF-1 axis and related metabolic parameters were also assessed. Results: FA\u2013CBP\u2013fortified milk powder significantly accelerated linear growth at intervention week 2, with body length higher in the Milk group than in the Control group (p &lt; 0.01). After 8 weeks, the Milk group showed improved trabecular bone mass and microarchitecture compared with Control, especially in males (p &lt; 0.01). Bone remodeling was transiently elevated at intervention week 4, as indicated by higher serum osteocalcin and CTX-I, and by increased osteoclast and cartilage matrix formation versus Control (p &lt; 0.05). The GH\u2013IGF-1 axis was also temporarily activated at week 4, with elevated serum GH and IGF-1\/IGFBP-3 ratio compared with Control (p &lt; 0.05). These skeletal benefits occurred without excess weight gain or adverse metabolic effects compared with Control (all p &gt; 0.05). Conclusions: FA-CBP-fortified milk significantly enhanced linear growth during puberty and improved bone mass and microstructure in early adulthood. These skeletal benefits are consistent with the transient activation of the GH\u2013IGF-1 axis. Importantly, no adverse metabolic effects were detected from early intervention through adulthood, supporting its potential application in growth-promoting nutritional strategies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17243819","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,5]],"date-time":"2025-12-05T17:35:17Z","timestamp":1764956117000},"page":"3819","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Milk Powder Fortified with Folic Acid and Colostrum Basic Protein Promotes Linear Growth and Improves Bone Microarchitecture in Juvenile Mice Without Adverse Metabolic Effects"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Hongjuan","family":"Liu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Xinzao, Panyu District, Guangzhou 511436, China"},{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety and the Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Rd, Wuhan 430030, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-3024-251X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yixin","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Xinzao, Panyu District, Guangzhou 511436, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yuanjue","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Xinzao, Panyu District, Guangzhou 511436, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wenbo","family":"Wan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mead Johnson Nutrition and Health Innovation Institute, No. 28, Zhujiang Road East, Zhujiang New Town, Guangzhou 510623, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jiawen","family":"Liang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mead Johnson Nutrition and Health Innovation Institute, No. 28, Zhujiang Road East, Zhujiang New Town, Guangzhou 510623, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hui","family":"Xiong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mead Johnson Nutrition and Health Innovation Institute, No. 28, Zhujiang Road East, Zhujiang New Town, Guangzhou 510623, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Liping","family":"Hao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety and the Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Rd, Wuhan 430030, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0004-7322","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ting","family":"Xiong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Xinzao, Panyu District, Guangzhou 511436, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1229","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2014-2173","article-title":"Optimizing Bone Health in Children and Adolescents","volume":"134","author":"Golden","year":"2014","journal-title":"Pediatrics"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Str\u00f3\u017cewska, W., Durda-Masny, M., and Szwed, A. 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