The unprecedented extension of the human lifespan necessitates a parallel evolution in how we quantify the quality of aging and its socioeconomic impact. Traditional metrics focusing on Healthspan (years free of disease) overlook the gradual erosion of physiological capacity that occurs even in the absence of illness, leading to declines in productivity and eventual lack of capacity to work. To address this critical gap, we introduce Peakspan: the age interval during which an individual maintains at least 90% of their peak functional performance in a specific physiological or cognitive domain. Our multi-system analysis reveals a profound misalignment: most biological systems reach maximal capacity in early adulthood (20s-30s), resulting in a Peakspan that is remarkably short relative to the total lifespan. This dissociation means humans now spend the majority of their adult lives in a "healthy but declined" state, characterized by a significant "functional gap." We argue that extending Peakspan and developing strategies to restore function in post-peak individuals is the functional manifestation of rejuvenative biomedical progress and is essential for sustained economic growth in aging societies. Recognizing and tracking Peakspan, including the features that characterize its earliest decline, using artificial intelligence (AI) and foundational aging models is critical for designing strategies that compress functional morbidity and sustain human capability across the life course.
Zhavoronkov et al. (Thu,) studied this question.