Healthspan vs. lifespan: two ways to measure longevity

We’re living longer than ever, and the increases in our longevity are happening fast.

Since the mid-twentieth century, global life expectancy has risen from 47 to 73 years. ^[1]But now, scientists are focused on adding life to those extra decades—increasing not just lifespan, but “healthspan,” a term for the number of years we’re living healthy.

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The difference between lifespan and healthspan

“Lifespan” refers to the number of years you live: A person who lived to be 95 had a lifespan of 95 years. But “healthspan” refers to the number of years someone lives in good health. Scientists refer to those years of “good health” ending when someone contracts a chronic condition or disease associated with mortality: Cancer, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), dementia, cardiovascular disease.^[2]

It’s estimated that people live an average of about nine years longer than their healthspan, surviving—but not really thriving—for almost a decade.

Biomarkers that predict healthspan

One way scientists are hoping to help extend healthspan is by measuring biomarkers: These substances accumulate in our blood, spinal fluid, or elsewhere in the body and are associated with disease risk. When your doctor measures the cholesterol levels in your blood, for example, that’s a biomarker. A few biomarkers have been shown to have a strong correlation to longer healthspans.

Fasting blood glucose:

Also called your fasting blood sugar, this is a measure of the amount of glucose that’s circulating in your blood when you’re at rest. Studies have found a link between elevated fasting blood sugar and the development of diseases like diabetes and heart disease.^[3]

Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C)

This is a measure of how much glucose is in your blood, measured over three months, expressed as a percentage. In a study, for every 0.4 percent increase in HbA1C, the risk of contracting a chronic disease—ending healthspan—increased by 29 percent over a 16-year period for those studied.^[4]

Triglycerides

When you eat excess calories, your body stores them as triglycerides—the most common type of fat in your body. When triglyceride levels are higher than 150 mg/dL in your blood, your risk of cardiovascular disease is increased.^[5]

C-reactive protein (CRP)

Elevated levels of this protein are associated with chronic inflammation. When CRP levels are chronically high, risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s all increase.^[6]

High-density lipoprotein (HDL):

HDL is the “good cholesterol,” carrying away “bad” LDL cholesterol in your blood. Studies have found a strong inverse relationship between high HDL levels and developing chronic disease.^[7]

5 ways to extend your healthspan

About 20-25 percent of our lifespan is based on our genetics, with the rest dependent on our environment and lifestyle.^[8] While we can’t control all those factors, some simple strategies have been shown to improve both healthspan and lifespan:

Exercise

Moving your body is associated with reductions in chronic inflammation, as well as lowered risk for diseases of aging.^[9] And it doesn’t need to be hours of high-intensity work, either: Performing low- to moderate-intensity cardio for 30 minutes, three to five times per week, has been associated with improving cardiovascular disease outcomes^[10].

Eat a Mediterranean diet

A recent study showed that eating a Mediterranean diet—rich in polyunsaturated fats and leafy greens— could lower “biological age.” ^[11]Like healthspan, biological age is a different way of measuring age: When your biological age is lower, you’re “younger,” health-wise, compared to others born the same year.

Practice intermittent fasting

Calorie restriction has been found to improve healthspan, but not getting enough nutrients in the long term can have a detrimental impact on health. Intermittent fasting is a safe alternative that helps the body reshape itself in a way that can extend a healthy life. While fasting, your body undergoes a process called autophagy, cleaning out malfunctioning cells in favor of new, healthier ones. See this guide for more on how—and why—a fasting regimen can help with healthy aging.

Take supplements that target the aging process

As we age, our mitochondrial function declines, resulting in an increased disease risk^[12]. Along with exercise, fasting, and a healthy diet, certain supplements, like Urolithin A, can help clear out these damaged mitochondria in favor of new ones that function properly. ^[13]

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Get regular sleep:

Lost sleep won’t just make you groggy. Sleeping less than seven hours per night has been associated with increased risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression.^[14]

Final words

The old adage about “adding life to your years” has never been more true: Scientists are devoting research and time into extending not just how many years we live, but the quality of that extra time. While evidence for what optimizes healthspan continues to evolve, a few simple changes can increase your healthy longevity ... starting now!

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