The foundation of healthy ageing are laid long before adulthood—even before birth say researchers who propose a new global research initiative to understand this early window of life.
Longevity research has traditionally focused on helping people stay healthier in later life, but a group of international researchers believes the conversation should begin much earlier. In a recent paper published in Nature Health, they argue that a new global research initiative is needed to better understand this.
The proposed collaboration, called PROSPER (Pregestational and Pediatric Research for Optimal Healthspan and Early-life Resilience), aims to bring together experts from multiple disciplines to study how prenatal development and childhood influence long-term health outcomes. According to the researchers, concentrating primarily on older adults overlooks opportunities to improve lifelong wellbeing before age-related changes become established.
The team suggests that childhood should not simply be viewed as the starting point of ageing. Instead, they believe biological development during the earliest stages of life provides important clues about an individual’s future resilience, making it essential to create research tools specifically designed for younger age groups. Biomarkers currently used to measure ageing in adults, they note, may not accurately reflect biological processes in children.
Another concept highlighted in the proposal is “peakspan”, the period during which an individual reaches their highest level of physical and physiological performance. The researchers believe understanding how people reach and maintain this stage could become as important as studying lifespan or years lived without disease.
If established, the PROSPER consortium would support long-term studies that combine clinical information, biological data and developmental research to map health trajectories from the earliest stages of life. The initiative also seeks to develop age-specific screening methods and preventive care strategies that could eventually become part of routine maternal and paediatric healthcare.
The authors believe a collaborative, life-course approach could reshape longevity science by connecting fields that have traditionally worked independently. By shifting attention towards prevention rather than treatment alone, they hope future research will help improve health outcomes across every stage of life and not just during old age.
