When you are interviewed by a perennial, it is inevitable to ask them, what are her secrets longevity their.

But what if this “secret” could be scientifically studied? What could their genome tell us about aging and why do they avoid diseases that affect so many other people? And if something was discovered, could it may help others live so long?

Questions like these are at the core of a recent study published on Wednesday in the magazine Cell Reports Medicine and examined her genome Maria Brania Morera, an American born Spainwho died in August 2024 at the age of 117 and 168 days, being the oldest living woman in the world.

“He was a very generous man, always willing to help, and it was great to work with her“, He told the CNN the Dr. Manel Esteyerresearcher in Josep Carreras Institute of Research In Barcelona, ​​author of the study.

Estegiere and his team took samples of blood, saliva, urine and stools from Brania, studied her genome and compared it to that of 75 other Iberian women.

Overall, they concluded that Brania lived so long because on the one hand ‘Won the Genetic Lottery’ and on the other hand followed a healthy lifestyle. It had genes that protected it from common diseases of aging, while at the same time feeding and living healthy.

Her love for yogurt

“Was lucky from the beginning and got an extra bonus in her lifetime“, Said Estegier, attributing about half of the longevity to her genes and the other half to her lifestyle.

“She never smoked, she never drank alcohol, she liked to work as much as she could … She lived in the countryside, did moderate exercise (mostly walking one hour a day) … Her diet included olive oil, and in her own case, yogurt yogurt.“, He told CNN.

If there was something slightly unusual in her diet, this was the consumption of yogurt: she ate three servings a day.

The researchers assumed that this habit, coupled with its diet, helped the gut microbiome remain similar to that of a much younger man, reducing inflammation.

However, her love for yogurt was not necessarily the cause of her “general good condition”, as her germination “probably reflects that her body was an excellent host for all these germs, thanks to all other favorable agents,” Claire Steve, Claire Steve, said.

In addition to yogurt, Brania also had a variety of genetic variants that helped her grow healthy. Among them, genes associated with the functioning of the immune system and the maintenance of cognitive abilities, a gene that affects the effectiveness of fat metabolism and another associated with brain health during aging and heart disease.

“The level of detail of this study is excellent,” Steve told CNN.

“They have reached very deeply and have managed to evaluate a wide range of biological mechanisms of aging … In my opinion, it is the first work that does so at such a depth,” he added, noting that future studies should see if the findings are repeated to others abductors.

Steve, like the researchers themselves, warned not to draw general conclusions from a study that focuses only on one person, since aging is different for everyone.

“When you only look at one person, you can’t know if what you see is simply due to luck, nor if the relationship is really clear,” he said, adding that even a person’s study can provide useful information.

For example, by looking at Brania’s genome, the team showed that “extremely advanced age and poor health are not necessarily linked”, as they said.

“Bad health in old age is not inevitable. It is due to biological mechanisms … It’s something we can change, “Steve said, adding that the study shows that” this is not a unique “key”, but multiple paths. “

By identifying the genes and proteins associated with “healthy aging”, Estegier hopes that researchers will be able to guide the development of drugs that will target these elements.

“Our goal is not necessarily to live until 117,” Steve added. “What we want is to limit to a minimum of the time we are sick and suffer. And that seems to have this woman succeeded, living for many years. “