Editing Senescence (section)

== Healthspans and aging in society ==
[[File:Global aging demographics.webp|thumb|Past and projected age of the human world population through time as of 2021<ref name="10.1038/s41536-021-00169-5">{{cite journal |last1=Garmany |first1=Armin |last2=Yamada |first2=Satsuki |last3=Terzic |first3=Andre |title=Longevity leap: mind the healthspan gap |journal=npj Regenerative Medicine |date=23 September 2021 |volume=6 |issue=1 |page=57 |doi=10.1038/s41536-021-00169-5 |pmid=34556664 |pmc=8460831 |doi-access=free}}
* Non-profit hospital press release: {{cite news |first1=Susan |last1=Buckles |title=A regenerative reset for aging » Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics |url=https://regenerativemedicineblog.mayoclinic.org/2021/10/07/a-regenerative-reset-for-aging |date=October 7, 2021 |access-date=1 March 2023 |work=[[Mayo Clinic]] |archive-date=1 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301172642/https://regenerativemedicineblog.mayoclinic.org/2021/10/07/a-regenerative-reset-for-aging/ |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
[[File:Healthspan-lifespan gap.webp|thumb|Healthspan-lifespan gap (LHG)<ref name="10.1038/s41536-021-00169-5"/>]]
[[File:Healthspan extending toolkit.webp|thumb|Healthspan extension relies on the unison of social, clinical and scientific programs or domains of work.<ref name="10.1038/s41536-021-00169-5"/>]]
Healthspan can broadly be defined as the period of one's life that one is [[healthy]], such as free of significant diseases<ref name="importance"/> or declines of capacities (e.g. of senses, [[muscle aging|muscle]], endurance and [[Aging brain#Neuropsychological changes|cognition]]).
{{Excerpt|Global health|Multimorbidity, age-related diseases and aging|paragraphs=2|only=paragraphs}} <!--The last stages of life are often "racked with chronic, age-related diseases that diminish quality of life" which also-->Biological aging or the LHG comes with a great cost burden to society, including potentially rising health care costs (also depending on types and [[medical costs|costs of treatments]]).<ref name="10.1038/s41536-021-00169-5"/><ref name="10.1016/j.tcb.2016.05.002"/> This, along with global [[quality of life]] or [[wellbeing]], highlight the importance of extending healthspans.<ref name="10.1038/s41536-021-00169-5"/>

Many measures that may extend lifespans may simultaneously also extend healthspans, albeit that is not necessarily the case, indicating that "lifespan can no longer be the sole parameter of interest" in related research.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bansal |first1=Ankita |last2=Zhu |first2=Lihua J. |last3=Yen |first3=Kelvin |last4=Tissenbaum |first4=Heidi A. |title=Uncoupling lifespan and healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans longevity mutants |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=20 January 2015 |volume=112 |issue=3 |pages=E277-86 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1412192112 |pmid=25561524 |pmc=4311797 |bibcode=2015PNAS..112E.277B |doi-access=free }}</ref> While recent life expectancy increases were not followed by "parallel" healthspan expansion,<ref name="10.1038/s41536-021-00169-5"/> awareness of the concept and issues of healthspan lags as of 2017.<ref name="importance">{{cite web |title=Healthspan is more important than lifespan, so why don't more people know about it? |url=https://publichealth.wustl.edu/heatlhspan-is-more-important-than-lifespan-so-why-dont-more-people-know-about-it/ |work=Institute for Public Health |publisher=Washington University in St. Louis |date=May 30, 2017 |first1=Tim |last1=Peterson |agency=Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging |access-date=1 March 2023 |archive-date=1 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301172634/https://publichealth.wustl.edu/heatlhspan-is-more-important-than-lifespan-so-why-dont-more-people-know-about-it/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Scientists have noted that "[[Aging-associated diseases|[c]hronic diseases of aging]] are increasing and are inflicting untold costs on human quality of life".<ref name="10.1016/j.tcb.2016.05.002">{{cite journal |last1=Hansen |first1=Malene |last2=Kennedy |first2=Brian K. |title=Does Longer Lifespan Mean Longer Healthspan? |journal=Trends in Cell Biology |date=1 August 2016 |volume=26 |issue=8 |pages=565–8 |doi=10.1016/j.tcb.2016.05.002 |pmid=27238421 |pmc=4969078 |language=English }}</ref>