was wird beim check-up ab 50 gemacht — can a microbiome test help?

The standard health check-up for people over 50 in Germany (Gesundheitsuntersuchung) includes blood pressure, blood lipids, blood glucose, kidney function, and cancer screenings (colorectal, skin, and for women cervical and breast cancer). A microbiome test is not part of this evidence-based screening. Whether a microbiome test can help is scientifically unclear. While there is mechanistic evidence that gut microbiota influence hormone metabolism (e.g., estrogen in perimenopause) and metabolic health, no validated microbiome test exists for routine preventive screening. Most commercial tests lack clinical validation and often produce inconsistent, non-actionable results. For the over-50 check-up, established lifestyle measures and regular medical exams are far more important. A microbiome test might be considered as an exploratory tool under medical supervision, but it does not replace standard screening. Caveat: marketing claims often overstate benefits; evidence is unclear.