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The concept of balance in microbiome research
Summary
This essay critically examines how the concept of "balance" is used in microbiome research and medical literature. Researchers analyzed multiple interpretations of what a balanced versus imbalanced microbiome means, finding that the term is often used loosely without precise scientific definition. The study argues for more rigorous conceptual frameworks to better understand how microbiome composition relates to health outcomes.
Microbiome research is changing how ecosystems, including animal bodies, are understood. In the case of humans, microbiome knowledge is transforming medical approaches and applications. However, the field is still young, and many conceptual and explanatory issues need resolving. These include how microbiome causality is understood, and how to conceptualize the role microbiomes have in the health status of their hosts and other ecosystems. A key concept that crops up in the medical microbiome literature is "balance." A balanced microbiome is thought to produce health and an imbalanced one disease. Based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis of how balance is used in the microbiome literature, this "think again" essay critically analyses each of the several subconceptions of balance. As well as identifying problems with these uses, the essay suggests some starting points for filling this conceptual gap in microbiome research.
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