Scientists may have found an important clue as to how a recently deceased woman named Maria Branyas Morera lived to the age of 117. Among other things, Branyas appeared to possess a particularly unusual gut microbiome.
Scientists at the University of Barcelona led a study examining Branyas’ longevity, the results of which were reported earlier this month by the Spanish media outlet Ara. According to the researchers, Branyas had a microbiome that closely resembled the kind typically found in an infant. These microbial passengers, in addition to her lucky genetics and healthy lifestyle choices, may have enabled Branyas to live a long and mostly healthy life, the scientists say.
Branyas was born in the U.S. in 1907, though her family soon afterward moved back home to Catalonia, Spain. She was a nurse throughout her life, often working alongside her physician husband Joan Moret until his death in 1976. In 2000, she moved to a retirement home in Northern Catalonia, albeit with plenty more years left to go.
By January 2023, Branyas was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest living woman in the world, following the death of 118-year-old Lucile Randon of France. Around that time, University of Barcelona geneticist Manel Esteller and his team convinced her to undergo a series of medical tests in hopes of unraveling some of the secrets behind her longevity. The team has since found several things that likely accounted for Branyas’ long life.
For instance, Branyas seemed to possess exceptional genetics that slowed down the age-related progression of her body’s cells. The researchers estimated that her cellular age may have been 17 years younger than her actual age. Branyas did plenty herself to stay healthy, avoiding vices like alcohol and smoking, regularly walking, adopting a Mediterranean diet, and having a rich social life (she and Moret had three children and two dozen grandchildren and great-grandchildren). She also seemed to have a unique gut microbiome, the community of usually harmless and often helpful bacteria that live in our guts. According to Esteller’s team, Branyas’ microbiome had a similar composition to microbiomes found in infants.
Notably, Branyas didn’t just live for a long time, she also experienced very few major medical issues and continued to possess a sharp memory and lucid mind until the very end, Esteller said. Branyas lived through both World Wars, the Spanish Civil War, and two major pandemics: the 1918 Spanish flu and covid-19, the latter of which only caused her a mild bout of the viral disease. But last August, Branyas finally passed away at the age of 117—peacefully in her sleep, according to her family.
The microbiome is thought to play an important role in many aspects of our health, and an unbalanced microbiome can contribute to health issues. Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly how the microbiome can shape our health, and it’s clear that Branyas had many other vital factors going for her. But the researchers do hope their research into her and other long-lived humans can lead to discoveries that could benefit everyone.
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