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There is no escaping the relentless march of time, but supercentenarians—individuals who live to see their 110th birthday—seem to possess a unique ability to delay the inevitable. A comprehensive health evaluation of one of the world’s oldest people, Maria Branyas, suggests that her longevity, extending to 117 years, may have been due in part to her remarkably young genome.
Scientists in Spain believe that some of her rare genetic variants, linked to longevity, robust immune function, and a healthy heart and brain, could provide valuable insights. They are now using these findings to “provide a fresh look at human aging biology, suggesting biomarkers for healthy aging, and potential strategies to increase life expectancy.”
The study is based on blood, saliva, urine, and stool samples Branyas donated before her death in 2024, when she was recognized as the world’s oldest living person. According to a team led by researchers at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute in Barcelona, Branyas had cells that “behaved” as though they were much younger than her chronological age. She surpassed the average life expectancy for women in her native Catalonia by more than three decades.
Despite her advanced years, Branyas was in excellent overall health, with exceptional cardiovascular function and very low levels of inflammation. Both her immune system and gut microbiome showed markers typically seen in much younger individuals. She also exhibited extremely low levels of “bad” cholesterol and triglycerides, paired with very high levels of “good” cholesterol. These factors may collectively explain her extraordinary health and extreme longevity.
While Branyas lived a mentally, socially, and physically active life, it’s clear that genetics played a crucial role. Although her Mediterranean diet, rich in yogurt, may have contributed, extreme longevity is likely influenced by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors.
Interestingly, researchers observed significant erosion in Branyas’s telomeres—the protective caps at the ends of her chromosomes. Shorter telomeres are generally associated with a higher risk of death. However, recent studies suggest that among the oldest of the old, telomeres may not be a reliable biomarker for aging. The authors hypothesize that having very short telomeres might have provided Branyas with an advantage by potentially preventing cancer cells from proliferating.
The researchers, led by epigeneticists Eloy Santos-Pujol and Aleix Noguera-Castells, note that “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.”
Research based on a single, remarkable person like Branyas has its limitations. The team acknowledges that larger cohorts are needed to extrapolate their results. However, broader studies comparing exceptionally long-lived individuals to their shorter-lived peers have also identified unique biomarkers that may help some humans resist disease.
While centenarians are the fastest-growing demographic in the world, only about 1 in 10 people who reach 100 live to see the next decade. Maria Branyas has provided researchers with a rare opportunity to study the potential biological pathways that make an extreme human lifespan possible.