Starts From Lifespan to Healthspan Focus
Lifespan
This is the simplest measure of longevity. It refers to the total number of years an individual lives. The maximum lifespan is the age at which the oldest known member of a species has died. For humans, this is currently around 122 years.
Healthspan
This is a more nuanced measure of longevity. Healthspan refers to the number of years an individual lives in good health, free from serious or chronic illness. It’s not just about living for a long time (which is lifespan), but about living for a long time in a state of good health.
When considering longevity, both lifespan and healthspan are important. A long lifespan with a short healthspan might mean many years of living with illness or disability. On the other hand, a shorter lifespan with a long healthspan would mean that the individual was healthy for most of their life. Therefore, many researchers in the field of aging and longevity aim not just to increase lifespan, but to extend healthspan, with the ultimate goal of “Adding Life to Years, Not Just Years to Life”.
Starts From Lifespan to Healthspan focus
Seek to “square” longevity curve by paying attention to healthspan as it does to lifespan, adding more years to life and life to years. Globally, average life expectancy increased by 20 years since 1960, but healthy lifespan not well extended: on average, a person lives ten more years in medium or poor health.
