What is Microbiome Alpha Diversity Index?
Alpha diversity quantifies the richness and evenness of the gut microbial community. Diversity increases from the neonatal period through toddlerhood as diet and environmental exposures broaden. Lower diversity in early life is physiological when the infant is breastfed and Bifidobacterium-dominant; reduced diversity in an older child may reflect antibiotic exposure, restricted diet, or dysbiosis. High diversity is generally associated with resilience and metabolic health, but it must be interpreted within the child's age and feeding context.