A long, healthy life depends on more than avoiding disease. In this program, UC San Diego’s Anthony Molina, Ph.D. defines resilience as the capacity to resist, adapt to, and recover from age-related stressors, and he frames healthy aging as an active process of maintaining function as challenges accumulate over time. Molina emphasizes that resilience shows up in multiple domains, including physical performance, cognition, sensory function, and mental well-being, all of which shape independence and quality of life.

Molina explains that researchers look for common biological pathways that may support resilience across these domains, including how cells produce and manage energy. He describes mitochondria and cellular metabolism as key pieces of the puzzle, and he outlines why measuring resilience requires more than a single snapshot. Instead, resilience is tracked through change over time and through responses to stressors, with attention to both molecular signals and real-world functioning.

Molina also describes how lifestyle factors intersect with resilience, pointing to areas such as exercise, sleep, and nutrition as promising targets. He notes that supplements are widely used, while also raising the need for careful testing and clarity about what helps, what does not, and for whom. To evaluate interventions more efficiently, Molina discusses combining functional assessments with biological markers associated with aging and health, aiming to connect what is happening in the body with outcomes people can feel in daily life.

Watch the full program, Resilience and Healthy Longevity.

Browse more programs on Healthy Longevity.