can we change how we age? exploring longevity in singapore

SINGAPORE – Ageing is one of the biggest health stories of our time. Singaporeans are living longer than ever, but extended life comes at a cost: Over a decade is spent in poor health.

While Singapore ranks first in the world for both life expectancy (85.4 years in 2023) and healthy life expectancy (74.1 years), the gap between the two has widened to 11 years, from nearly nine years in 1990, according to a global study published in The Lancet Public Health.

Women live longer than men, but they also spend more years burdened by ill health.

This comes as the nation joined the ranks of the super-aged in 2026 – more than one in five people here are aged 65 and older, and this will progress to one in four by 2030.

To examine how we can close the gap between growing old and living well, The Straits Times is launching The New Age, a year-long series exploring what it really means to grow older, and how daily lifestyle choices, medicine and social support can redefine ageing from an inescapable descent into a realm of opportunity.

Starting on Sept 5, our first package tackles a question that has emerged as the country gets older: Can we change how we age?

We look at Singapore’s latest investments in longevity science, and what researchers here are working on to help us live longer, healthier lives, as well as the country’s emerging longevity economy, the science behind biological age, and the people actively changing their ageing trajectory.

Public health initiatives are already promoting exercise, preventive health and ageing-in-place, but ageing cannot wait.

It is not just the researchers, but also policymakers, doctors and a growing number of longevity clinics that are interested in measuring how quickly we age and how to rewind the clock.

New tools are being harnessed in an attempt to estimate a person’s biological age, which, unlike your chronological age, refers to the state of your body, right down to the health of your cells. (This is the best predictor of your lifespan as well as the number of years you can expect to enjoy in good health.)

Meanwhile, clinics are assessing various aspects of health, from handgrip strength to cardiorespiratory fitness to insulin resistance, and more.

Alexandra Hospital is the only public sector institution operating a healthy longevity research clinic, something it has been doing since 2023.

But in the private sector, some hospitals have launched longevity services while longevity clinics offer personalised programmes, supplements and wellness services like infrared treatments that have anti-ageing claims.

The science, however, is moving unevenly. Some approaches are backed by evidence, while high-tech anti-ageing treatments often remain ahead of evidence and can be relatively expensive.

The New Age, which will run monthly, will cover a range of topics related to ageing to help you live a longer, healthier and happier life. Here is what to expect.

If you are interested in extending the number of years you can spend in good health, whatever your age, this is the healthy longevity guide for you.

After all, everyone wants to enjoy the journey of life. It is an achievable goal, and we now have more power than ever to make our later years as rewarding as possible.