Mar 21, 2025 12:00:00

Research on the world's oldest woman reveals the secret to longevity: what did the 'supercentenarian' who lived to be 117 eat every day?

Research on

Maria Brañas-Morella , who died in August 2024 at the age of 117 years and 168 days, the oldest person in the world at the time, has revealed a scientific clue to the secret of longevity.

The Multiomics Blueprint of Extreme Human Lifespan | bioRxiv
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.24.639740v1

Study on World's Oldest Woman Confirms How to Live Past 100 : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/study-on-worlds-oldest-woman-confirms-how-to-live-past-100

According to a research team led by researchers at the José Carreras Leukemia Institute in Spain, the average life expectancy for women in Catalonia, where Blañas lived, is 86 years. Among people over 100 years old, ' supercentenarians ' who live to be 110 or older are extremely rare, with only one in 10 making the cut, but Blañas, who lived more than 30 years longer than the average, is an especially rare case.

Using a variety of analytical techniques and interviews, the researchers investigated Brañas' life history and found that he met many of the recommendations for longevity and healthy aging.

First of all, Blañas had all the elements of dementia prevention, including a mentally, socially and physically active lifestyle and spending quality time with family and friends. He also ate a healthy diet, focusing on Mediterranean cuisine, which is believed to contribute to longevity.

Of particular note is his favorite food, yogurt. He ate three types of yogurt every day, each containing

Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. The balance of his intestinal flora was much younger than his actual age.

'Microbes play a key role in determining not only the metabolic composition of our bodies, but also inflammation, intestinal permeability, cognition, and bone and muscle health,' the researchers noted in their paper.

Genetics also play a role, with Brañas having many genes associated with a strong immune system, protection against heart disease, and a reduced risk of cancer.

A study on the 'epigenetic clock,' which uses

DNA methylation that accumulates in genes over time to analyze biological age, also confirmed that Branhas' genes are younger than his actual age.

'Surprisingly, all the different DNA methylation-based aging algorithms showed the same results, with M116's biological age being much younger than his chronological age, and this occurred across all three different tissues analyzed,' the team reported.

The team also noted that Brañas had a very efficient metabolism, low levels of 'bad cholesterol' and high levels of 'good cholesterol,' as well as low levels of inflammation.

Brañas himself attributed his longevity to a 'regular lifestyle and a comfortable environment,' but this research suggests that there are several other factors that contributed to his longevity.

'Our study shows that extreme old age and ill health are not the same thing, and that the two processes can be distinguished at the molecular level,' the researchers wrote in their paper.