What is the Origin of Healthspan Extension Methods?

This term is central to the modern field of geroscience and longevity medicine, representing a critical paradigm shift from traditional disease-centric medicine. 'Healthspan' is a portmanteau of 'health' and 'lifespan,' coined to differentiate the quality of life extension from mere chronological survival. The 'Methods' are the translational clinical strategies derived from this scientific focus on optimizing biological age.

What is the Mechanism of Healthspan Extension Methods?

Healthspan extension methods target the fundamental hallmarks of aging, including cellular senescence, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and epigenetic instability. Mechanisms often involve metabolic programming through fasting or calorie restriction mimetics, promoting cellular cleanup via autophagy, and optimizing the endocrine system's anabolic and stress-response pathways. By maintaining youthful cellular function and hormonal balance, these methods support robust organ reserve and functional independence.

Healthspan Extension Methods

Meaning

A collective term for all clinical, pharmacological, nutritional, and lifestyle interventions specifically employed to increase the number of years an individual lives in good health, free from chronic disease and functional impairment. These methods focus on optimizing physiological function and resilience rather than merely extending total lifespan. The primary goal is to compress the period of morbidity at the end of life, ensuring a high quality of life for a longer duration.