Researchers who studied 117-year-old before her death reveal secrets to a long life
Researchers studied the oldest person in the world at the time and found out exactly why she lived so long.
Maria Branyas Morera was 117 in August 2024, before she passed away.
However, before her death, she made one simple request: that doctors study her.
Dr. Manel Esteller, chairman of genetics at the University of Barcelona’s School of Medicine, did just that, and what he found was astounding.
Advert
Released on September 24, the study, which was published in the Cell Reports Medicine journal, revealed all about Morera’s health.
They looked at things like her blood, saliva, urine and stool to find out the intricacies surrounding her longevity, and ultimately found that it was contributed by a combination of her lifestyle and her genes.
In January 2023, the Guinness World Records confirmed Morera was the oldest person on Earth after the death of 118-year-old Lucile Randon in France.
According to her obituary, Morera was married to a doctor for 40 years in Spain, and they shared three children together before she became a grandma.
In the 20 years before her death, she lived at the Residència Santa María del Tura nursing home in Olot, Spain, and her daughter would often share her life and insights on X.
Her mindset was one that many people can adopt, choosing to live life as a blessing and not a burden.
"Life is not eternal for anyone," she wrote in January 2023 on social media. "At my age, a new year is a gift, a humble celebration, a new adventure, a beautiful journey, a moment of happiness. Let's enjoy life together."
Her ethos on life was similar to how she viewed taking care of her body, preferring to steer clear of habits that did not benefit her, such as smoking or drinking alcohol.
She also loved to work, and did so up until she no longer could, said the doc to CNN.
He added: “She lived in the countryside, she did moderate exercise [mostly walking one hour a day] … She had a diet that included olive oil, Mediterranean style and, in her case, yogurt.”
Her penchant for yogurt actually could have been a reason why she was able to keep chronic inflammation - a cause of disease and aging - at bay.
She ate three yogurts a day, but also had amazing genes.
Apparently, her genes protected her from common ailments like high cholesterol levels, dementia, heart disease and cancer.
“She had cells that seemed younger than her age,” Esteller told the New York Times.
"The picture that emerges from our study, although derived only from this one exceptional individual, shows that extremely advanced age and poor health are not intrinsically linked," wrote the researchers, led by Eloy Santos-Pujol and Aleix Noguera-Castells.
She lived life well, until August 20, 2024, when Morera’s family announced that she had passed away ‘peacefully’ in her sleep.
"Maria Branyas has left us. She has died as she wanted: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain,” they wrote. "We will always remember her for her advice and kindness."
Britt Jones