Study on world’s oldest person finds key to long life

Maria Branyas Morera died last August at the age of 117. Dubbed a supercentenarian for living past the age of 110, Maria held the title of world’s oldest person for over a year and claimed

her long life was because of three simple things. Maria was adamant about avoiding toxic people to improve your lifespan and claimed her longevity was due to a hefty amount of “luck and good

genetics”. Now, scientists have revealed what they discovered by studying her body; Maria was right. The “key to longevity” was found in her gut by researchers at Barcelona University. The

experts told NeedtoKnow that Maria had the “microbiome of a child” as well as one-of-a-kind genes. The study noted: “Overall, these data suggest that one of the reasons that our

supercentenarian reached such a world record age was that her cells ‘felt’ or ‘behaved’ as younger cells, with a biological age of a centenarian.” The study is yet to be peer-reviewed. Her

cholesterol levels were good, her blood sugar was “exceptional” and she had a perfectly balanced immune system. Experts believe her diet was the main contributor to these health indicators

and her long life. Maria notoriously never drank alcohol or smoked and ate three yoghurts everyday alongside her other meals. She was fond of her fruit and vegetables and enjoyed daily

walks. Manel Esteller, a genetics professor at the university, explained that her privileged genome cut her biological age by around 17 years. This would explain why Maria’s life wasn’t just

incredibly long, she was also consistently healthy. Her daughter, Rosa Moret, previously claimed that her mum was never ill. Maria only began to lose her eyesight, memory and hearing closer

to her death than many anticipated. Ultimately, scientists hope that by studying her body they can advance anti-aging medicines and get a better insight into which foods could extend your

lifespan. It concluded: “The picture that emerges from our study shows that extremely advanced age and poor health are not intrinsically linked.” Maria lived in Catalonia, Spain, which

already has one of the highest life expectancies at 86.49 years for women and 81.29 years for men. Since her death, 116-year-old Brazilian nun Canabarro Lucas has taken over the mantle.