Intrinsic Capacity as a Predictor of Healthy Longevity: Insights From Four Cohort Studies

Low intrinsic capacity is associated with poor health outcomes. However, the current body of evidence remains insufficient to conclusively establish intrinsic capacity as a reliable predictor of longevity. The present study aimed to investigate the association between intrinsic capacity and healthy longevity, as well as its predictive ability for healthy longevity.

This was a cohort study comprising 159 840 participants ≥ 50 years of age drawn from 4 large-scale studies. Intrinsic capacity was assessed according to 5 dimensions, while healthy longevity was defined according to recommendations from the World Health Organization. Cox proportional hazard (CPH) models were used to examine the association between intrinsic capacity and mortality across different age groups. Logistic regression analysis was performed and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to evaluate the predictive ability of intrinsic capacity for healthy longevity.

Age-stratified CPH analysis revealed that intrinsic capacity was significantly associated with mortality, and that the strength of this association increased with age. Logistic regression analysis revealed that intrinsic capacity was a strong predictor of healthy longevity, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.97 (p < 0.001), after adjusting for all covariates.

Results of the present research demonstrated that intrinsic capacity is a reliable predictor of healthy longevity and may represent an important target for public health interventions.