what her genes and way of life inform us about longevity

Maria Branyas Morera lived to the age of 117 with a little bit of genetic luck and a nutritious diet that included every day yogurts, in accordance with a research revealed immediately in Cell Reports Medicine¹. During her ultimate yr — she died on 19 August 2024 — she was verified because the oldest residing individual, a feat that drew the eye of researchers who discover the biology of ageing.

“We wanted to learn from her particular case to benefit other people,” says Manel Esteller, a doctor specializing in genetics on the University of Barcelona in Spain.

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At the time, Branyas was residing within the small city of Olot, within the Catalonia area of Spain, the place she loved studying books, taking part in with canines and spending time with family and friends, together with her two daughters — every of their 90s. Over a number of encounters with Branyas and her household, Esteller and his colleagues collected samples of her blood, saliva, urine and stool that offered insights into her distinctive physiology, together with her genetics, metabolism and intestine microbiome.

The supercentenarian was pleased to collaborate. “She was a very humble person,” Esteller recollects. “She said: ‘My only merit is that I’m alive’.”

The researchers in contrast Branyas’s genetic, metabolomic and different profiles with these of ladies of varied ages residing in the identical area. One of the primary insights from the work, Esteller says, is that it’s doable to differentiate molecular modifications that occur within the physique due to ageing from those who happen due to poor well being.

For occasion, the analysis crew learnt that Branyas’s telomeres — the stretches of repetitive DNA that shield the ends of chromosomes — had been exceptionally quick. Telomeres naturally shorten with age, and unusually quick telomeres have been related to age-related illnesses. But Branyas had no such diseases. “This is telling us that the loss of telomeres is not necessarily associated with disease, it’s simply associated with being old,” Esteller says.

Mayana Zatz, a geneticist on the University of São Paulo in Brazil who research the genetics of wholesome centenarians, says the research is thorough however notes that conclusions which can be primarily based on a single particular person are restricted. “It would be interesting to compare the findings with supercentenarians in other populations,” she says.

Winning the genetics lottery