Intrinsic capacity is the most important longevity term you’ve probably never heard of
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Intrinsic capacity is a holistic measure of what someone’s body and mind are capable of.
ILLUSTRATION: MADISON KETCHAM/NYTIMES
Dana G. Smith
- Intrinsic capacity is a holistic measure of health combining cognition, mobility, sensory ability, psychological well-being and vitality to assess overall body and mind function.
- Scientists use intrinsic capacity to track ageing, identify early declines and test if lifestyle changes or drugs can slow ageing, with ongoing clinical trials in France and the US.
- The ARPA-H programme aims to validate intrinsic capacity as a metric for FDA approval of longevity drugs.
AI generated
NEW YORK – What if there were a single metric that could capture every aspect of your health – how strong you are, how clear your vision is, how sharply you think?
That is the goal of intrinsic capacity, a holistic measure of what someone’s body and mind are capable of.

