LAUSR

Findings from the most recent Global Burden of Disease study, published in October 2016 in The Lancet, show that in 2015, the mean life expectancyworldwide had reached roughly 72 years. This is an increase of 10 years since 2000, largely attributed to improvements in childbirthassociated and infant mortality, better management of HIV/AIDS, and more efficient vaccine anddrug delivery to combat other communicable diseases. These healthcare efficiencies mean that, for the first time in history, the average child born anywhere in theworld today is expected to live to at least 60 years. By 2050, 2.1 billion people—roughly 25% of the global population—will be older than 60 years. Yet further analyses of these epidemiological data suggest that over the same period between 2000 and 2015, which saw a 10 year increase in overall life expectancy, there was a much more modest increase in healthy life expectancy (HALE)—a measure that takes into account years lived with disability—of 2.9–3.5 years (for men and women, respectively). For those older than 65 years of age, HALE increased by just 0.85–1.2 years. It becomes clear that, despite tremendous medical advances contributing to extension of lifespan over recent decades, a concomitant increase in quality of life at older ages has not kept pace. The mounting challenges healthcare systems face with an aging population are largely due to increased prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). In 2015, NCDs accounted for 70% of all deaths globally. 80% of NCD-related deaths are attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory diseases, and diabetes. Indeed, data from the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program suggest that incidence of these NCDs increases exponentially with every year lived beyond the age of 50 years. Despite mounting evidence that aging increases chronic disability and premature death, studies on healthy aging to tackle this problem are in their infancy. Not until May 2016, as part of its broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”, did the UN formulate a strategy to address healthy aging. In its initial stage, to be completed by 2020, part of this strategy will be to establish a framework for what healthy aging entails, taking into account evidence-basedmetrics of quality of life and functional abilities in daily activities of older individuals. Additionally, on June 7, 2017, theUN Economic and Social Council adopted a resolution to increase resources towards and take greater action against NCDs that overwhelmingly affect aged patients. In this issue of EBioMedicine,we dedicate a section focused on Aging andMetabolism, with a series of In Focus and Review articles discussing diverse aspects of geroscience—the relatively new field of understanding the biology of aging and age-related disease. At the core of geroscience research is the dogma that aging is not simply an immutable outcome of life, but that its biological underpinnings, once understood, can be manipulated to improve health. From the series of pieces