Aligning Intrinsic Capacity and Geroscience: Linking Function with Biology

As population ages globally, the agenda of healthy aging has emerged as a critical priority. For addressing the evolving needs of the aging population, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the concept of Intrinsic Capacity (IC), which is defined as the composite of all physical and mental capacities. IC brings a major paradigm change, shifting the focus from disease to function and optimization of IC through life has been suggested to be required for achieving healthy aging. In parallel, geroscience is an emerging discipline aiming to understand the biology of aging and developing strategies to slow the aging process and thus prevent age-related functional decline and chronic diseases. This narrative review explores the conceptual and translational connection between IC and geroscience, proposing that IC may serve not only as a measurable indicator of global function but also as a potential target for geroscience interventions. We discuss how the hallmarks of aging underlie declines in the domains of IC and summarize emerging gerotherapeutic approaches that may potentially optimize IC. We further discuss the possibility of integrating IC into geroscience-informed clinical and public health frameworks, emphasizing its value in guiding preventive and personalized strategies for healthy aging.