Podcast Summary: People are living longer. It’s changing how we measure aging.
Apple News Today | Hosted by Apple News | January 2, 2026
Episode Overview
This episode features a narrated article from New Scientist, "A New Measure of Health is Revolutionizing How We Think About Aging" by Graham Lawton, focusing on how rising life expectancies are prompting experts and societies to rethink not just how long we live, but how well we live in old age. Through new scientific models and large-scale studies, the episode explores whether our extra years are healthy ones, introduces the transformative concept of "intrinsic capacity," and addresses what this means individually and collectively for the future of aging.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
The Longevity Boom—and Its Questions
- Historic Gains:
Global life expectancy has soared in the past century thanks to sanitation, nutrition, healthcare, and education.- Example: In England, life expectancy rose from 44 in 1900 (for boys) to 87 today.
- Caveat: More years do not guarantee more healthy years. There’s concern that increased lifespan could result in prolonged periods of ill health.
Lifespan vs. Healthspan
- Definitions:
- Lifespan = Total years lived.
- Healthspan = Years lived in good health, free from age-related diseases and disabilities.
- Findings:
- Between 2000 and 2019, global lifespan increased by 6.5 years, but healthspan lagged behind—only rising by 5.4 years.
- Healthspan-lifespan gap expanded in richer countries: e.g., the U.S. gap is 12.4 years.
“While people live longer, they live a greater number of years burdened by disease.”
— (Narrator quoting Mayo Clinic study) [06:25]
- Binary Problem: Healthspan has limits—it dictates you’re either healthy or unhealthy, not reflecting the spectrum or lived experiences.
Functional Capacity and New Metrics
- Limitations of Previous Approaches:
- Healthspan often fails to capture impact on quality of life or minor disabilities.
- Functional studies mostly measure severe losses tied to need for care, not subtle, earlier declines.
The Shift to Intrinsic Capacity
- Definition:
Introduced in the 2015 WHO World Report on Aging, "intrinsic capacity" reflects a composite of an individual's functionality across five domains:- Locomotion
- Cognition
- Vision and hearing
- Psychological health
- General vitality
“Health is not like life and death. Life and death is black and white. Health is a continuum.”
— John Beard, Professor of Aging at Columbia University [08:52]
- Key Value:
Intrinsic capacity is measured objectively (clinical tests, scoring) and reflects what people can actually do, beyond just disease diagnosis.
Research Findings: Are We Aging Better?
- Groundbreaking Studies:
- English Longitudinal Study of Aging and China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study analyzed by John Beard and colleagues.
- Later cohorts (born in 1950) entered old age with much higher intrinsic capacity than earlier ones (born 1920, 1930, 1940).
- Someone born in 1950 at age 68 functioned better than a 62-year-old from the 1940 cohort.
- Compression of Morbidity:
Signs that chronic illnesses are being squeezed into a shorter period before death, rather than years of decline.
“It’s more like 70 is the new 50-something, I can tell you that with absolute certainty.”
— John Beard [19:42]
Implications, Limitations, and The Future
- Why the Improvements?
- Better nutrition, education, healthcare, less smoking.
- Later generations peak higher in intrinsic capacity at age 30, meaning they decline more slowly.
- Caveats:
- Results may not generalize globally; war and social upheaval affect older generations differently.
- Gains could be slowing or reversing due to plateaued healthcare, increased obesity, and pollution.
- Those born in the 1950s may represent a "golden generation" for health and longevity.
“There may be a ceiling that we've probably attained. I look at my kids and I don't think their nutrition is any better than mine was.”
— John Beard [24:07]
Practical Takeaways: Boosting Your Intrinsic Capacity
- Assessment:
- WHO’s ICOPE checklist lets individuals estimate their intrinsic capacity.
- Improvement tips:
- Eat well, maintain healthy weight, avoid smoking, manage stress.
- Most evidence: Stay physically active, especially strength training.
“I know what I want for my 60th birthday. A set of dumbbells.”
— Graham Lawton (author/narrator) [28:05]
Social Impact and Ageism
- Positive Messaging:
- Recognizing healthier older years counters stereotypes, showing older people as valuable, active contributors.
- Changing Mindsets:
- Intrinsic capacity reframes aging as an opportunity, not decline.
“The older person is a social asset and they contribute to society. Understanding our later years in terms of intrinsic capacity can and is changing how we approach aging.”
— Juka Sumi, WHO's iCope program [29:00]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On the Need for Better Metrics:
“Studies like these tend to assume healthspan ends abruptly with the diagnosis of a major age-related condition. But that fails to capture what impact the condition is having on quality of life.”
— John Beard [08:35] -
On the Changing Face of Aging:
“We now have the privilege of living into our 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond in ways that previous generations never had an opportunity to experience.”
— S.J. Olshansky, University of Illinois [31:35] -
On the Future:
“Only time will tell. People born in 1960 are now knocking on the door of old age, so trends in that cohort will start to appear soon.”
— Narrator [25:31]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- [00:46] Introduction to the longevity boom and measuring aging
- [04:50] Defining healthspan and its shortcomings
- [09:47] The concept of intrinsic capacity
- [14:22] Findings from English and Chinese cohort data
- [19:42] The “70 is the new 50” revelation
- [24:07] Limitations and concerns about future generations
- [27:25] How to assess and improve intrinsic capacity personally
- [29:00] Social impacts, ageism, and future outlook
- [31:35] Final takeaways on changing perceptions and opportunities of aging
Conclusion
The episode delivers an optimistic, nuanced exploration of modern aging—showing that many now reach old age in better health than ever before, thanks to broad improvements in living conditions and medical care. With the introduction of concepts like intrinsic capacity, experts and policymakers are now equipped to push past outdated, binary definitions of old-age health and better plan for a society that may soon count 1.4 billion people over 60 as vibrant assets, not burdens. The message is clear: healthy aging is both a personal opportunity and a societal imperative, best measured in what we can do, not just how long we live.