Researchers unlock the molecular secrets behind Spanish supercentenarian who lived 117 years free of cancer, heart disease, and dementia.
María Branyas Morera lived 117 years and 168 days without cancer, heart disease, or dementia.
Now, an international team of researchers has uncovered the biological secrets behind her extraordinary longevity.
Born in San Francisco in 1907, she moved to Catalonia as a child. Branyas lived through two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, and even beat COVID at the age of 113.
Before she died last August, she told her doctors, “please study me so I can help others.”
Scientists in Spain analyzed nearly every layer of her biology—her genes, proteins, metabolism, microbiome, and lifestyle.
What they found was striking. She had genetic variants that lowered her risk of high cholesterol, heart disease, cancer and dementia.
Another surprise, her “biological age” was far younger than her chronological age.
Branyas avoided tobacco and alcohol, limited fat and sugar and walked regularly. She also ate lots of yogurt, which filled her gut with the good bacteria it needed to reduce inflammation — one of aging’s biggest accelerators.
The authors say overall, the data suggest she reached a world record age because her cells “felt” or “behaved as younger cells.”
They say the findings show that healthy aging isn’t driven by a single factor, but by many small ones working together.
They believe clearly identifying the traits linked to healthy — versus unhealthy — aging could benefit people of all ages in the future.
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