Does Maria Branyas Morera have the secrets of the fountain of youth? To find out, the former dean of humanity had agreed to submit to a battery of tests to allow researchers to study his body. The results of this study have just been published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.
It must be recognized that the longevity of Maria Branyas Morera is exceptional. Born in 1907 in San Francisco (United States), the supercintenary was spared from illnesses throughout her life. She died peacefully in her sleep “as she wanted” in August 2024 in Olot, Spain. She was 117 years old and 168 days.
Three yogurts per day
“He was a very generous person, who was trying to help, so it was great to work with her,” said Dr. Manel Esteller, co-author of the study and researcher at the Josep Carreras leukemia Institute in Barcelona, in Spain, with CNN.
According to the results of the study, the supercentenary owes its longevity to a good genetic heritage and a healthy lifestyle. “She never smoked, she never drank alcohol, she worked until she could no longer … She lived in the countryside, she did moderate exercise (mainly an hour of walking per day)”, enumerates the researcher.
In addition, its diet, of the Mediterranean type, included a lot of olive oil and, in its case, three yogurts per day. This high consumption of dairy product, combined with a healthy diet, could have preserved its intestinal microbiome and have protected it from inflammatory diseases.
In addition to her lifestyle, Maria Branyas Morera had an advantageous genetic heritage, including variations that have preserved her from cardiovascular diseases in particular.
Researchers, however, invite not to draw hasty conclusions on this study which is based only on one person. The aging process is different for each person, they underline.
“Age poor health is not inevitable. It is due to biological mechanisms … on which we can act, “said Claire Steves, professor at King’s College in London, who did not participate in the study, but finds the level of detail of this” extraordinary “article. For her, the objective should not be to live as long as possible, but as long as possible in good health.
