María Branyas Morera, who was born in San Francisco in 1907 to Spanish parents and moved to Spain at the age of eight, captured global attention as the world's oldest living person until her death in 2024 at the remarkable age of 117 years and 168 days. Her extraordinary lifespan, far exceeding the average female life expectancy of 86 years in Catalonia, Spain, sparked intense scientific curiosity. Researchers sought to understand the genetic, lifestyle, and biological factors that contributed to her longevity, hoping to unlock insights that could benefit others. This article delves into the diet and lifestyle of María Branyas Morera, examining the various elements that may have played a role in her exceptional health and resilience.
María Branyas Morera: A Life of Longevity
María Branyas Morera's life offers valuable lessons about the factors influencing aging and overall well-being. While she attributed her longevity to genetics and luck, she also emphasized the importance of specific lifestyle choices. In her later years, she shared wisdom about life and aging on social media, noting in a December 2022 post on X that longevity was a matter of both luck and genetics. This claim was supported by reports that many of her family members lived beyond 90 years old, suggesting a significant genetic component. However, María also firmly believed that certain lifestyle choices were crucial to her long and healthy life.
The Role of Genetics and Environment
María Branyas Morera lived in Catalonia, where the average female life expectancy is 86 years, surpassing it by over three decades. Scientists analyzed her genes, metabolism, and more, to explore the processes that enable extreme longevity. Manel Esteller, a physician specializing in genetics at the University of Barcelona in Spain, stated that they wanted to learn from her particular case to benefit other people. The researchers compared Branyas’s genetic, metabolomic, and other profiles with those of women of various ages living in the same region. This comparison aimed to distinguish molecular changes that happen in the body because of aging from those that occur because of poor health.
Genetic Advantages
While analyzing Branyas’s genome, the authors spotted genetic variants that are known to protect against cardiovascular disease, cognitive loss, and diabetes. By contrast, they found no variants associated with increased risk for certain deleterious conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers also looked for genes linked to longevity. Esteller noted that she had variants in genes that, in other beings like dogs, worms, and flies, are associated with extreme lifespan, stating, "She was lucky in the genetics lottery."
Key Lifestyle Habits of María Branyas Morera
María Branyas Morera emphasized several lifestyle habits that she believed contributed to her longevity:
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1. Avoiding Negativity and Toxic Relationships
María often emphasized the importance of steering clear of negative influences, advising to “Stay away from toxic people.” Research supports this, as a 2020 study published in Health Psychology linked regular criticism from a partner to a higher risk of mortality. Avoiding toxic relationships can also significantly reduce stress, which has been closely tied to accelerated aging. Chronic stress can elevate cortisol levels, leading to negative health outcomes, including inflammation, cardiovascular problems, and impaired immune function. The American Psychological Association notes that chronic stress can shorten telomeres - the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes - which is associated with cellular aging and a higher risk of age-related diseases.
2. Strong Family Bonds and Social Connections
In a post on X, María talked about how she believed that strong, nurturing family bonds helped protect her from feeling lonely. She credited her close relationships with her family as a key factor in her long life. Science strongly supports the connection between social bonds and longevity. In Sardinia, for example, the extended family unit plays a central role in daily life, providing a support network that contributes to the physical and emotional well-being of its elderly members. Like the residents of these Blue Zones, María’s strong family connections likely played a crucial role in her long and healthy life.
3. Positivity and a Worry-Free Mindset
María also believed in the power of positivity, and she was a firm believer in living with no worries or regrets. Her outlook aligns with findings from researchers at the Complutense University of Madrid, who discovered that centenarians often share a common trait: an ability to focus on the positives in life.
4. Moderation in Diet
María didn’t follow any strict diet, but she did stress the importance of eating in moderation. “I’ve always eaten little,” shared María. And while she didn’t explicitly state it, her habit of eating small portions may indicate an informal practice of caloric restriction. Research suggests that caloric restriction can reduce metabolic stress, enhance cellular repair mechanisms, and delay the onset of age-related diseases. One of the key pathways influenced by caloric restriction is the mTOR (mechanistic Target of Rapamycin) pathway, which plays a crucial role in regulating cell growth, metabolism, and aging. This reduction in mTOR activity is thought to contribute to the health benefits associated with caloric restriction, including improved longevity and reduced risk of age-related diseases.
5. Daily Yogurt Consumption
One of María’s daily habits was eating yogurt. She believed in its numerous health benefits and made it a consistent part of her diet. While research on yogurt’s direct impact on longevity remains inconclusive, it is often recommended for its high protein content and benefits to gut health due to containing probiotics - beneficial gut bacteria.
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The Significance of Diet: A Mediterranean Approach and the Power of Yogurt
María Branyas Morera's diet played a significant role in her longevity, particularly her adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet and her daily consumption of yogurt.
Mediterranean Diet
Esteller says Morera didn’t drink alcohol or smoke and adhered to a Mediterranean diet, made up of lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and olive oil. Following a Mediterranean-style diet - built around vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, with olive oil as the main fat, fish and legumes eaten regularly, and red meat, processed foods, and added sugars kept to a minimum - has been repeatedly linked to both microbiome diversity and reduced disease risk. These habits will not guarantee a lifespan beyond 110, but they are associated with lower risks of cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
The Benefits of Yogurt
María ate yoghurt three servings a day. Dr. Joseph Salhab highlighted her consumption of yoghurt and revealed why it may be one of the best longevity supplements. He wrote, “Yoghurt is linked to a lower risk of colon cancer and colon polyps, stronger and healthier gut bacteria, better immunity, and reduced risk of chronic disease.” The gastroenterologist explained, “This lady lived to 117 years old, and scientists were intrigued by one food that she ate three times a day. Yoghurt. Now, yoghurt isn't some magic pill that's going to make you live forever, but studies show that it's one of the most protective foods that you can eat.” According to the gastroenterologist, people who eat yoghurt regularly have a lower risk of colon cancer and colon polyps. Moreover, consuming yoghurt helps make your gut bacteria healthier and stronger. The expert noted that a healthier and stronger gut is associated with improved immunity and a lower risk of chronic disease.
The Gut Microbiome: A Key to Longevity
Researchers discovered her gut was as diverse as someone decades younger: rich in beneficial bacteria linked to resilience and longevity. Her daily yoghurt habit and Mediterranean diet may have helped. While we can't all inherit "lucky genes", nurturing our microbiome may be one way to support lifelong health.
Microbiome Composition
Analysis of the gut microbiome revealed unusually high levels of Bifidobacterium, a beneficial bacterium typically reduced in elderly individuals, but known for its anti-inflammatory effects and links to healthy aging. She consumed approximately three yogurts daily, each containing Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii, which can support Bifidobacterium growth. One of the most “startling” findings was the high levels of Actinobacteriota bacteria in her gut, including the well-known probiotic Bifidobacterium. The team suspects her yoghurt consumption helped continuously replenish her Bifidobacterium levels.
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Maintaining a Healthy Microbiome
Simple steps include eating fermented foods, such as live yoghurts, kefir, kimchi and sauerkraut, as well as fruit, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, which supply the prebiotics that healthy microbes need. Other foods that encourage Bifidobacterium include kefir, kombucha, and fermented vegetables such as kimchi and sauerkraut. These contain probiotics - live bacteria that can settle in the gut and confer health benefits. But probiotics need fuel. Prebiotics - dietary fibres we can't digest but that our microbes thrive on - are found in foods like onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, bananas, oats, and legumes. Together, probiotics and prebiotics help maintain a balanced microbiome.
Scientific Analysis of María Branyas Morera's Biology
To explore the processes that enable extreme longevity, researchers conducted an extensive multiomics analysis that examined multiple molecular layers of biology. Most analyses were performed on blood collected at 116 years and 74 days, with saliva, urine, and stool providing complementary data. A range of biological samples, including blood, urine, saliva, and stool, was collected, along with detailed records of her lifestyle and medical history. Detected genetic variants were compared with those of a Spanish control cohort to identify rare or potentially protective alleles. The gut microbiome was studied through the genetic sequencing of stool samples and compared with publicly available datasets, providing insight into microbial contributions to longevity.
Telomere Length and Health
One of the striking observations was that, despite having extremely short telomeres (~8 kb mean, with 40% below the 20th percentile), Maria Branyas Morera remained healthy. This suggests that telomere shortening may reflect chronological age without necessarily predicting the onset of illness. Esteller says this is telling us that the loss of telomeres is not necessarily associated with disease, it’s simply associated with being old.
Genetic Variants and Immune Function
Genetic analysis revealed rare variants in genes associated with immune system function, cardiovascular protection, neurological health, and mitochondrial function. Blood testing uncovered mutations typical of clonal hematopoiesis (SF3B1 and TET2), a process often tied to cancer and cardiovascular disease. Yet Maria Branyas Morera displayed no such conditions. These features are associated with protection against cardiovascular disease and dementia. Her extracellular vesicles carried proteins that promoted immune defense, lipid transport, and protection against oxidative stress, reinforcing the picture of robust biological defenses.
Epigenetic Age
Epigenetic testing revealed distinctive DNA methylation patterns. Remarkably, her “biological age” was significantly younger than her chronological age, with an rDNA methylation age of ~23.17 years younger and a negative age pace of −17.34 years, indicating preserved genomic stability and a decelerated epigenetic aging process. Finally, the scientists tried to gauge whether Morera’s biological age differed substantially from her chronological age. This was done by creating an epigenetic clock based on her DNA methylation - the process in which DNA adds or removes chemical tags that help switch various genes on and off.
Lessons Learned and Future Directions
María Branyas Morera's life offers valuable insights into the complex interplay of genetics, lifestyle, and biology in achieving exceptional longevity. Her emphasis on strong relationships, positivity, moderation, and a balanced diet, combined with genetic luck, highlights the multifaceted nature of aging well.
The Importance of a Holistic Approach
Dr. Matthew Demarco emphasizes building movement into your day, aiming for seven to eight hours of sleep a night, finding people who are passionate and excited about the same things as you and avoiding substance abuse. For anyone looking to make a positive shift in their daily habits, Dr. Demarco recommends starting with one or two small changes.
Future Research
Future research should examine larger cohorts of long-lived individuals and test targeted interventions, such as dietary changes, exercise, metabolic therapies, and microbiome modulation. Esteller says there are two main explanations for the survival of very long-lived individuals. Mayana Zatz, a geneticist at the University of São Paulo in Brazil who studies the genetics of healthy centenarians, says the study is thorough but notes that conclusions that are based on a single individual are limited. “It would be interesting to compare the findings with supercentenarians in other populations,” she says.