Setting the lifespan clock: anti-ageing interventions during development.

Abstract

Ageing trajectories may be established long before the onset of functional decline, potentially during early developmental stages. This review highlights evidence that transient developmental interventions-encompassing metabolic, pharmacological, microbial, and physiological approaches-may confer lasting benefits for longevity and healthspan across species. The long-term effects are proposed to be mediated by systemic epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming, establishing a primed state of enhanced stress resistance and homeostatic capacity that persists into adulthood. Critically, this developmental programming often operates within a narrow window of high plasticity; the same interventions are often ineffective or even harmful when administered later in life. These findings underscore the importance of timing in geroscience and suggest that understanding early-life plasticity provides a valuable conceptual framework for exploring future strategies to delay ageing. This article is part of the theme issue 'Developmental circuits in ageing'.