When Catalonian Maria Branyas died in August 2024 at the grand old age of 117 years and 168 days, she was officially the world’s oldest living person.
To determine how Maria managed to collect so many birthdays, a team led by researchers from the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute in Spain conducted a comprehensive analysis on everything from her genes to her proteins to her microbiome to her metabolism.
Their report, which is yet to be peer reviewed, provides a rare glimpse into the cellular machinery that just might give some of us a shot at starting a second centenary.
Maria was a supercentenarian – someone who reaches the age of 110 or urpasses it – and it’s quite an achievement. Only around 1 in 10 of the people who make it to a century of living then manage another decade.
Using a host of different analytical techniques and interviews, the researchers found that Maria checked a lot of the recommended boxes when it came to longevity and healthy aging.
She had a mentally, socially, and physically active lifestyle, for instance, spending quality time with family and friends; all factors known to keep dementia at bay. Maria also ate well, sticking mostly to a Mediterranean-style diet that’s been linked to a longer lifespan.
One thing the researchers noted was Maria’s love of yogurt. The researchers think the supercentenarian’s diet choices helped to encourage healthy gut bacteria – and indeed her gut microbiome had the characteristics of someone much younger.
“Microorganisms are critical in determining not only the metabolite composition of our body, but also inflammation, intestinal permeability, cognition, and bone and muscle health,” write the researchers in their published paper.
Variations in our DNA have long been considered critical in determining our mortality. Maria had genes associated with a stronger immune system, protection against heart disease, and a reduction in the risk of cancer.
The study also looked at DNA methylation; a chemical marking mechanism that affects how genes are expressed. Since this mechanism is influenced by stresses in the environment, it is often used to gauge the passing of life’s trials in what’s described as our biological age.
“Remarkably, all the distinct algorithms of age based on DNA methylation yielded the same result,” write the researchers.
“Our supercentenarian exhibited a much younger biological age than her real chronological age and this occurred in the three different tissues analyzed.”
Other factors highlighted by the researchers were Maria’s highly efficient metabolism, leading to lower levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol and higher levels of ‘good’ cholesterol, as well as low levels of inflammation (protecting against multiple health issues).
Maria herself put her long life down to an “orderly life and pleasant surroundings”, but it’s clear that there were multiple factors at work. While most of us won’t reach 117, the research does help in understanding how the body can be given the best chance of aging without damage or disease – and from there improving our health in old age.
“The picture that emerges from our study shows that extremely advanced age and poor health are not intrinsically linked and that both processes can be distinguished and dissected at the molecular level,” write the researchers.
The research has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, but is available on the preprint server BioRxiv.
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