Global experts map out the practical steps that help extend life expectancy

By Priyanjana Pramanik, MSc.Reviewed by Susha Cheriyedath, M.Sc.Nov 19 2025

A global panel of scientists and community leaders shows how biology, lifestyle, and culture can work together to help people live longer, healthier, and more purposeful lives.

The illustration conceptualizes how fostering bonds and communication, plant-based communal dining rich in dietary fiber, daily routines with physical activity, and living with gratitude and “Ikigai” collectively support the vision of healthy longevity.

The first global summit on longevity was recently held in Japan, where experts discussed advances in research, lifestyle interventions, and community-based strategies. The meeting report has been published in the journal npj Aging.

A joint declaration was an outcome of the conference, highlighting four critical components for healthy aging. These included maintaining meaningful social bonds, having a sense of gratitude, being physically active, and following a healthy diet centered on plant-based protein and dietary fiber.

Rapid Demographic Shifts in Healthy Longevity

The world is aging at an unprecedented pace, with rising life expectancy and falling fertility reshaping countries' demographic structures across all income levels. While people today live longer than previous generations, many spend their later years managing illness or disability.

Japan as a Living Laboratory for Aging Solutions

The challenge of ensuring that added years are lived with independence and well-being framed the first World Longevity Summit, held in Kyotango, Japan. Japan, where nearly one in three citizens is aged 65 or older, embodies the pressures and possibilities of aging societies.

Kyotango’s Centenarian Patterns and Lifestyle Factors

Within the country, the Kyotango region stands out for its unusually high concentration of centenarians, a phenomenon attributed to strong social ties, plant-forward diets with dietary fiber, daily activity, and cultural continuity.

Multidisciplinary Approaches to Healthy Aging Research

With these regional strengths as a backdrop, the summit convened researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and community leaders to explore cutting-edge science and practical models for healthy aging. Twenty-eight presentations covered fields ranging from molecular geroscience to public health and community initiatives.

Epigenetic Aging Insights from Molecular Geroscience

A central theme of the summit was deciphering the biological mechanisms that shape aging. Steve Horvath introduced epigenetic clocks used to estimate biological age and showed how these tools capture organ-specific aging, familial longevity, and environmental influences.

Organ-Specific Aging and Modifiable Risk Factors

These models show that centenarians’ families tend to have slower epigenetic aging. Organs such as the cerebellum and retina age more slowly than tissues like blood or bone. Lifestyle factors produce very modest shifts in biological age, though certain interventions, such as omega-3 supplementation, show small but measurable benefits. Conversely, obesity was highlighted as accelerating liver-specific epigenetic aging. Horvath also noted examples such as the Hispanic paradox and the Tsimane people, whose biological age appears unexpectedly low relative to health risk factors.

Autophagy Pathways in Cellular Maintenance and Longevity

Complementing this perspective, Tamotsu Yoshimori highlighted autophagy as a core mechanism of cellular maintenance. He outlined how autophagosomes recycle damaged components, maintaining energy balance and proteostasis.

Rubicon Inhibition and Translational Autophagy Strategies

Suppressing the protein Rubicon, an age-associated inhibitor of autophagy, can extend lifespan and improve neurological function in model systems. Early exploratory interventions, such as fermented tea extracts and lifestyle programs designed to stimulate autophagy, point to possible translational pathways but require rigorous evaluation. Rubicon’s role in promoting exosome-mediated spread of senescence signals was also noted as an emerging mechanistic insight. Yoshimori’s work has also led to the establishment of a research-oriented company and the Japan Autophagy Consortium, illustrating early efforts to translate autophagy science into public-facing initiatives.

Gut Microbiome Signatures Linked to Systemic Aging

Francis Chan shifted focus to the gut microbiome as a driver of systemic aging. He showed that microbial diversity, metabolite production, and gut barrier integrity decline with age, contributing to inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and cognitive changes. Intriguingly, centenarians exhibit not a young microbiome, but a distinct one characterized by fewer dominant species and greater representation of minor beneficial taxa.

Microbiome Interventions Supporting Cognitive and Immune Health

Early-life microbial disruptions can shape long-term health. Recent clinical trials using synbiotics showed promise for improving fatigue and cognitive symptoms in long coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), illustrating how microbiome-targeted interventions may support neurological and systemic health. Chan also described four categories of microbiome-based aging biomarkers: diversity, taxonomic composition, metabolite profile, and functional output.

Designing Age-Friendly Social Systems and Environments

A second major focus of the summit was designing social systems that enable older adults to thrive. Tomoo Matsuda advocated for the idea of a “Platinum Society.” Such a community views aging not as societal decline but as an opportunity to empower older adults as contributors.

Community Programs Strengthening Social and Physical Engagement

Community-based models such as Exadon, a program combining exercise and taiko drumming, or multi-use centers that facilitate intergenerational engagement, were presented as effective ways to maintain social connection, daily activity, and purpose. However, the summit emphasized that evidence for these initiatives is often observational, and formal evaluation remains limited. Matsuda also proposed policy innovations such as care credits and “second compulsory education” for seniors.

Rural Aging Challenges and Digital Innovation Solutions

Stefania Bandini expanded the discussion to rural aging, emphasizing that vast regions in Italy, known as “inner areas,” and Japan face population decline, loss of traditional knowledge, and limited access to services. She illustrated how digital tools can identify vulnerabilities such as poor walkability, inadequate access to health facilities, and insufficient caregiving networks. Integrating such technologies with local cultural practices, she argued, is essential for building age-friendly environments that align innovation with human dignity and community needs.

Core Longevity Principles from Summit Declaration

The summit produced four clear principles for healthy longevity: prioritize social connection, share meals centered on plant-based protein and dietary fiber, sustain regular routines and physical activity, and foster gratitude alongside a strong sense of purpose (Ikigai). The declaration affirmed that achieving healthy aging requires a science-based, culturally sensitive, and collective approach.

Integrating Research, Policy, and Community Action

In synthesizing four days of presentations, the summit underscored that extending healthy life expectancy requires action at multiple levels, namely molecular research, clinical translation, early-life interventions, community design, and policymaking.

Global Collaboration Toward Meaningful Healthy Longevity

In conclusion, the World Longevity Summit emphasized that embracing aging as an opportunity, fostering global partnerships, and integrating science with cultural values are crucial steps toward enabling people worldwide to enjoy longer, healthier, and more meaningful lives.