On August 19, 2024, a Spanish woman named Maria Branyas Morera died at the age of 117. She was the oldest living human being at the time of her death, and scientists were naturally interested in finding out what it was that kept her alive and in good health for so long. Up until her death, she lived in a small town in the Catalonia region of Spain, and spent her days reading, playing with her dogs, and socializing with her two daughters, both in their 90s, and other family members and friends.

Shortly before she died, researchers visited her and took samples of her blood, saliva, urine, and stool and subjected them to a lab analysis. What they found revealed that her long and healthy life was attributable to her genes, her metabolism, her gut microbiome (that is, the bacteria in her intestines) and her lifestyle.

One of the most interesting things that they discovered is that her intestines had very high levels of Bifidobacterium, a type of bacterium that is beneficial and helps in preventing inflammation. Her levels of this bacterium were like that of much younger people. They noted that her diet included three servings of yogurt a day. Yogurt is rich in healthy bacteria, and various studies have shown that consuming yogurt on a regular basis can slow down the aging process and, additionally, contribute to maintaining a healthy weight. Maria’s high intake of yogurt was, no doubt, responsible for her very healthy gut microbiome. In fact, she had very low levels of inflammation and a strong immune system. 

At the age of 113, she contracted COVID-19 and survived—the oldest
person to do so. Her survival in this case was undoubtedly the result of her very robust immune system. Maria’s bloodwork indicated that she had low levels of harmful cholesterol and high levels of beneficial cholesterol. This means that her body was efficient in burning off fats and thus preventing heart disease. It is now well known that as we get older, our bodies become less efficient at burning off fat, and this leads to accumulation of fat in body organs, which in turn increases the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and cognitive decline—all of which are known issues for the elderly. In Maria’s case, a healthy Mediterranean diet, low in saturated fats and an active lifestyle with regular exercise contributed to her low levels of harmful cholesterol.

The researchers also discovered that Maria had several gene variants that have been associated with reducing the risk of heart disease, cognitive decline, and diabetes—all of which are medical conditions that afflict the elderly. At the same time, they did not find any gene variants in Maria’s genome that increase the risk of developing serious medical conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Above all, she had gene variants that are associated with long lifespans in various animal species. 

Of course, we cannot all be as lucky as Maria when it comes to the genes that we inherit from our parents. However, Maria’s genes were not the only factor in her ability to live a long and healthy life. She maintained a healthy lifestyle by eating the right foods and remaining active through her senior years. That is something we can all do as we get older. Although, it is not in our control to inherit the beneficial genes that Maria had. The key to living a long and healthy life is to start doing the right things early, so that when we reach our senior years, we would have a head start in tackling the challenges that we all naturally face as we get older.

Dr. Veena Alfred  Ph.D
CEO /Administrator