Lifespan vs. Healthspan: The Gap There is a critical distinction between lifespan (the total number of years lived) and healthspan (the years lived in good health, free from serious chronic disease or disability). While global life expectancy has increased significantly over the last century, healthspan has not kept pace. Research indicates a global "healthspan-lifespan gap" of approximately 9.6 years, meaning individuals spend the last decade of life in poor health, often referred to as "sickspan". This gap poses immense challenges to healthcare systems, economies, and family caregivers.

The Shift to Medicine 3.0 The widening gap is attributed to the dominance of Medicine 2.0, a reactive model focused on treating acute illness and managing diseases after they manifest. Experts advocate a pivot to Medicine 3.0, a proactive, personalized, an ...