![\"Supercentenarian](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEI_267317187.jpg\")
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Mar\u00eda Branyas Morera, pictured with scientist Manel Esteller, took part in a study to help researchers understand her longevity<\/p>\n
Manel Esteller<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Between 17 January 2023 and 19 August 2024, Mar\u00eda Branyas Morera, of Spain, was officially the world\u2019s oldest person<\/a>, until she died aged 117 years and 168 days. To uncover the secrets of her extraordinary longevity, a team of researchers has done a deep dive into her genetics, microbiome and lifestyle.<\/p>\n When Morera was 116 years old, the team collected samples of her blood, saliva and stool, to analyse her genetics. \u201cShe had an exceptional genome enriched in variants in genes that are associated with enhanced lifespan in other species, such as dogs, worms and flies,\u201d says team member Manel Esteller<\/a> at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain.<\/p>\n Morera, who showed no sign of dementia<\/a>, also had many gene variants that keep blood lipid levels low, protecting the heart and cognition, says Esteller. \u201cAt the same time, she was devoid of gene variants associated with the risk of pathologies such as cancer, Alzheimer\u2019s and metabolic disorders.\u201d<\/p>\n Blood test results also revealed that her lipid metabolism was among the most efficient ever reported, according to the researchers. \u201cHer lipid profile was amazing, with very low cholesterol,\u201d says Esteller. \u201cThis was related to her frugal diet and genes that quickly metabolised damaging molecules.\u201d<\/p>\n Esteller says Morera didn\u2019t drink alcohol or smoke, and adhered to a Mediterranean diet<\/a>, made up of lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes and olive oil. She also ate three servings of plain, sugar-free yoghurt every day.<\/p>\n The team\u2019s tests also suggest that Morera retained an efficient immune system<\/a> into old age and a gut microbiome characteristic of a much younger individual.<\/p>\n One of the most \u201cstartling\u201d findings was the high levels of Actinobacteriota bacteria in her gut, including the well-known probiotic Bifidobacterium. This typically declines with age, but is elevated in centenarians and supercentenarians, and it is thought to have multiple anti-ageing<\/a> benefits, such as reducing inflammation.<\/p>\n The team suspects her yoghurt consumption helped continuously replenish her Bifidobacterium levels. \u201cIt shows that maybe a dietary intervention can be associated not only with avoiding obesity and other pathologies, but also with prolonged life, acting through the microbiome gut landscape,\u201d says Esteller.<\/p>\n Finally, the scientists tried to gauge whether Morera\u2019s biological age differed substantially from her chronological age. This was done by creating an epigenetic clock based on her DNA methylation \u2013 the process in which DNA adds or removes chemical tags that help switch various genes on and off. \u201cHer biological age was an average 23 years younger than her chronological age, one of the reasons that she was alive,\u201d says Esteller.<\/p>\n Previous research suggests that supercentenarians can have genetic variants associated with various medical conditions, such as Alzheimer\u2019s disease or heart problems<\/a>, but somehow have the means to endure them, leading to a long life. \u201cVery few studies are available for supercentenarians. In these [previous ones], only one dimension is studied, e.g. [the] microbiome,\u201d says Esteller. \u201cOur study shows that overcoming such diseases is a combination of good genes plus the other factors: [a] beneficial microbiome, slowed-down biological age shown by a younger epigenome and an efficient immune system, plus the behaviour part \u2013 no smoking, no alcohol, low-fat diet, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n