COMPENDIUM ON FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE - Flipbook - Page 775
Aging-Associated Changes
● Progressive loss of keystone diversity after age 65-70 [179]
● Decreased abundance of anti-inflammatory keystones like F.
prausnitzii [180]
● Shifts toward pro-inflammatory and proteolytic keystones
[181]
● Reduced functional capacity of remaining keystone species
[182]
● Altered cross-feeding relationships affecting metabolite
production [183]
These changes suggest age-specific approaches to keystone
restoration may be required, with particular attention to
maintaining keystone function in older adults [184].
Clinical Application: Beyond Identification to Intervention
Translating microbiome assessments into clinical interventions
requires systematic approaches:
Restoring Diversity
When alpha diversity is low, systematic restoration includes:
1. Identifying and removing diversity-limiting factors [185]
2. Providing broad-spectrum prebiotic support [186]
3. Introducing keystone organisms when appropriate [187]
4. Supporting ecosystem recovery through targeted
interventions [188]
Rebalancing Functional Outputs
Addressing functional imbalances involves:
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