Aging research should prioritize assessing functional outcomes, such as frailty and morbidity, rather than simply extending lifespan.

Healthspan, defined as the period of life spent in good health, should be a primary goal of geroscience, emphasizing the maintenance of strength, cognition, and independence in aging individuals.

The distinction between lifespan and healthspan is crucial, shifting the focus to the quality of aging and the effectiveness of interventions in mitigating aging-related functional decline.

To ensure relevance, aging research must address the actual experiences of human aging, focusing on functional realities instead of relying solely on theoretical models.

The article critiques the '900-day rule' in geroscience, arguing that extending lifespan in long-lived models does not necessarily equate to genuine anti-aging effects.

The author advocates for a dual strategy in geroscience research, utilizing long-lived, disease-resistant models to study intrinsic aging mechanisms alongside real-world models to evaluate healthspan extension.

Current lifespan studies often rely on mice in controlled environments, which may not accurately reflect real-world aging phenomena, including immune drift and chronic inflammation.