Yogurt, genes linked to longevity in study of world’s oldest person

Experts who probed what let Maria Branyas Morera live to 117 say a daily probiotic yogurt routine may have played a key role in her healthy aging, alongside abstention from tobacco and alcohol. Branyas Morera, born in San Francisco in 1907 and long cited as the world's oldest person, died last year at age 117. Before her death she asked doctors to study her so the lessons could help others.

Researchers from Spain's Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute and the University of Barcelona studied Branyas's DNA and broader biological profile, collecting blood, urine, saliva and stool samples about a year before she died and comparing her data with those of other very old people. Dr Manel Esteller, the study's lead investigator, said the team aimed to separate aging from illness and observed that Branyas was an example of aging without the typical rise in sickness. The researchers noted there is little prior evidence showing that yogurt or similar dietary habits contribute to long, healthy life, calling the findings novel.

Branyas's daily routine included regular consumption of probiotic yogurts, which the researchers say likely played an important role in her healthy aging alongside avoiding alcohol and tobacco. They emphasized that while good genetics clearly helped, the combination of favorable genes with healthy habits probably supported her condition into the 110s. The grandmother of three also maintained a vibrant social life with family nearby and lived through major historical events, including the Spanish Civil War and both world wars. She contracted Covid-19 at age 113 but recovered and asked doctors to study her so the lessons could help others.

Her preferred yogurt came from a Catalan brand called La Fageda and was eaten daily for about a decade. It contains high amounts of bacteria such as Lactobacillus delbrueckii bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, which scientists say can combat inflammation. In addition to yogurt, Branyas drank a smoothie containing eight cereals daily. She did not smoke, did not drink, and was not overweight, factors the researchers say may have supported her cognitive health and metabolic function. Scientists also noted that protective telomeres on the ends of her chromosomes were extremely short, a finding the researchers said could have contributed to lower cancer risk.

Beyond these lifestyle factors, scientists found Branyas had a favorable metabolic profile and lacked molecular markers of typical age-related disease. Her cholesterol and lipid metabolism were efficient, connections the study says have been linked to longer life and better cognitive health. The researchers noted that the absence of disease markers at such an advanced age underscores the potential insights from Branyas's case.

Experts outside the study also weighed in. Professor João Pedro de Magalhães of the University of Birmingham said longevity outliers like Branyas can provide clues about aging mechanisms and potential targets for interventions aimed at extending healthy life. While the findings are intriguing, experts cautioned that no single food or habit guarantees extreme longevity and that broader corroboration is needed given Branyas's unique genetic and life circumstances.

Researchers stressed that the work represents a step toward understanding how aging and healthiness diverge in the oldest ages, rather than a simple recipe for longer life.