Yogurt daily linked to longevity in study of world's oldest person

Experts who probed what let Maria Branyas Morera live to 117 say a combination of daily yogurt consumption and genetics helped her long life. Spanish researchers studied the DNA and broader biological profile of Branyas Morera, who was the oldest person in the world before she passed away last year at 117.

Her daily routine included regular consumption of probiotic yogurts, and doctors say this likely played a role alongside avoiding alcohol and tobacco. The Spaniard attributed much of her longevity to good genes and a supportive social network.

Born in San Francisco in 1907, Branyas Morera moved to Spain at the age of eight. She survived two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, and pandemics including the Spanish flu and COVID-19. She contracted COVID at age 113 but made a full recovery and asked doctors to study her so they could help others before her death.

Her daily yogurt habit centered on a local Catalan brand called La Fageda, described by researchers as a source of high-probiotic content with bacteria such as Lactobacillus delbrueckii bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. She also drank a smoothie containing eight cereals daily, did not smoke or drink, and was not overweight. The supercentenarian maintained a strong social life, with family and friends nearby.

International scientists led by researchers at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute and the University of Barcelona probed Branyas Morera’s full range of biological data, collecting body fluids including blood, urine, saliva and stool about a year before she died. The team found her biological age appeared up to 15 years younger than her chronological age. Dr Manel Esteller, the study’s principal investigator, said: "The common rule is that as we age we become sicker, but she was an exception and we wanted to understand why. For the first time, we've been able to separate being old from being sick." "There is very little previous evidence showing the benefits of yogurts and healthy long life, so this is completely new," he added.

The investigators noted that protective caps called telomeres at the ends of her chromosomes were extremely short, a finding some researchers said could have helped shield her from cancer. Professor João Pedro de Magalhães, at the University of Birmingham, commented that these longevity outliers could provide clues about aging mechanisms and potential drug targets for extending healthy years.

The study’s authors stressed that Branyas’s case is not a prescription for everyone: while yogurt and other dietary habits may contribute to health, a lifetime of factors, including genetics and social support, shape outcomes. "Maria's parents gave her very good genes, but we cannot choose our parents," Esteller noted. Branyas, who did not drink or smoke and remained active into older age, lived through significant historical upheavals and maintained her family ties until the end. These findings, while intriguing, are not generalizable to the broader population without further research.