Sentence:  Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and <WSD>enables</WSD> people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To yield the opportunity or provide the possibility for something; to provide with means, opportunities, and the like.