No doubt you know that people are living longer these days than in previous decades, something of a public health success for our country. In fact, the average life span of an American these days is 79 years and there’s a growing cohort of older adults who now live much longer than that. The problem, however, is that we haven’t had the same success with extending the length of our “health span,” i.e., the length of time we live our lives free of disability or chronic disease. In fact, according to Dr. Dave Chokshi, writing in a recent New York Times op-ed, we’re focused on the wrong goals. Instead of, or at least in addition to, focusing on the length of our lives, we should focus on what’s really meaningful to most people: extending our health span beyond its current average age of 63-66 years of age, (meaning that a good proportion of us spend our final years struggling with disease and disability). Other peer countries (including Japan, Britain, and Singapore) have managed to push their health spans to an average of 70 years old. Dr. Chokshi argues we should target 75 years for our national health span. Not only would improving our national health span save us billions of dollars in healthcare spending but it would immeasurably give millions of us a better quality of life in our later years.

The question is, how can we extend our health span, as individuals and as a broader society? Aging is the single biggest risk factor for some of our most prevalent diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and dementia. So, if we are able to slow down the biological aging process, it appears we can lower the rate of these chronic and often fatal illnesses and in the process, extend our health span and life span. A recent preliminary study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2023 conference seems to give us just such a path. The study, out of Columbia University, found that 8 modifiable measures that promote good heart health are associated with decelerated biological aging, potentially slowing the biological aging process by up to 6 years. The American Heart Association calls them “Life’s Essential 8” and they include physical activity, a healthier diet, better sleep, weight, blood sugar and cholesterol management, and blood pressure control. No big surprise, but what is important is that attention to these factors can potentially add years to your health span (and potentially life span).

Of course, these essential 8 are only part of the story toward extending your health span. There are clearly other factors that should be proactively and preventively addressed to minimize the cellular damage that may lead to disease or disability. Interventions such as stress management are critical for lowering the levels of chronic inflammation in your system, which may damage cells. Along with stress management, there are ways to attend to your emotional and mental health which will also work towards extending your health span. Among the strategies found in Blue Zones? The advice is to focus on “pleasure and play,” i.e., surrounding yourself with social connections and discovering what brings meaning and joy into your life. 

One other set of recommendations? William Kole, author of the new book, The Big 100: The New World of Super-Aging, has some recommendations based on the principles his grandmother used to live not only a long life but one in which she thrived to the end: develop a sense of purpose, emotional resilience and optimism. Granted, she probably also had good genes but as Kole made clear, “She worked hard at the things she could control in ways that positioned her to not only achieve longevity but truly enjoy it.” What better way to live than to support and maintain your physical, emotional, and mental health to match the extended life span you may actually experience?