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How a 117-year life can teach us about healthy aging

 Maria Branyas Morera

When María Branyas Morera invited doctors to study her biology before she died at 117, she gave scientists a rare, detailed portrait of extreme ageing: blood, saliva, urine and stool samples that were analyzed across many biological layers — genome, immune markers, metabolites, epigenetics and the gut microbiome — and reported as a multi-omics study. The team found that her DNA carried some uncommon variants tied to lower risk of dementia and cardiovascular disease, her cells behaved molecularly younger than her years on some epigenetic clocks, and her gut microbiome looked more similar to younger adults. The investigators were careful to emphasise that these findings are descriptive: one person cannot prove cause and effect for everyone, but the case points to biological pathways worth investigating. 

The study’s authors and science reporters also highlighted the lifestyle side of the equation. Branyas avoided smoking and heavy drinking, kept active with long daily walks, ate a largely Mediterranean-style diet, and reportedly ate yogurt often — habits that align with lower inflammation, better metabolic health, and a community-oriented life. The Guardian and Nature both covered the work and quoted lead researcher Manel Esteller on how her genetics and lifestyle likely acted together in her case.

Practical facts emerge from wider research that help translate the Branyas case into everyday choices.

First, dietary patterns with Mediterranean features (lots of vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, fish and olive oil) are repeatedly associated with lower cardiovascular events and better long-term health in large trials and observational studies. 

Second, add fermented dairy: Yogurt or kefir can enrich the gut microbiome with bacteria often tied to lower inflammation. Evidence isn’t overwhelming, but it points to a small, useful effect within a balanced diet.

Third, social connections: People with regular, meaningful contact — family meals, friends, community - tend to live longer than those who are socially isolated, according to large reviews.

Fourth, keep moving: Walking most days and mixing in light resistance training helps preserve muscle, which in turn supports independence and lowers mortality risk.

Fifth, avoid obvious harms: Not smoking and limiting alcohol remain among the strongest, most evidence-backed ways to protect long-term health.

Sixth, protect your reserves: Adequate sleep, stress management, and routine health checks keep the body’s systems from drifting into chronic wear and tear.


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