126: Peakspan: Defining and Extending the Boundaries of Human Performance

This episode does a deep dive into an academic perspective that introduces Peakspan, a novel metric defined as the period when an individual maintains at least 90% of their maximum functional capacity in specific physiological or cognitive areas. The authors argue that while humans are living longer, most biological systems—including cardiorespiratory, renal, and immune functions—peak in early adulthood, creating a significant "functional gap" where people are clinically healthy but significantly declined. This misalignment poses a major threat to economic productivity and the sustainability of retirement systems as the "Biological Retirement Age" approaches earlier than the chronological one.Zhavoronkov A, Ying K, Wilczok D. Peakspan: Defining, Quantifying and Extending the Boundaries of Peak Productive Lifespan. Aging Dis. Published online February 25, 2026. doi:10.14336/AD.2026.0080.Follow Dr. Anthony Novello, PT, DPT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@anthonynovello.dpt⁠⁠