Maria Branyas Morera, the world’s oldest person, passed away at the age of 117 in Spain. Researchers delved into her lifestyle, Mediterranean diet, love for yogurt, efficient metabolism, and strong genes. These factors contributed to her longevity and overall health. Findings about her microbiome and biological age provide insights into living a long and healthy life. Who wouldn’t want to live a healthy and long life? However, there are many obstacles that can shorten the journey to a healthy lifestyle. American-born supercentenarian Maria Branyas Morera passed away last August in Spain. At the time of her death, she was officially the world’s oldest living person at 117 years and 168 days. Her long and healthy life was examined by a team of researchers at the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute in Spain. The team analyzed what worked for her, from her genes to her microbiome and metabolism, uncovering some interesting findings. The yet-to-be-peer-reviewed report takes a look at the cellular mechanisms of a supercentenarian and how some of the findings may help in living a long life, especially after the age of 100. So, what was the secret to her long life? One of the most important factors helping people live past 100 is following an active lifestyle with ample opportunities for socializing. Researchers found that Maria Branyas maintained a mentally, socially, and physically active lifestyle. She also spent quality time with her family and friends. These are important factors that can keep dementia at bay. Maria followed the Mediterranean diet, which reduced the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and brain health issues. The Mediterranean diet typically includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, olive oil, dairy products, eggs, fish, and poultry in low to moderate amounts. This supercentenarian loved eating yogurt, which could be the secret to her healthy microbiome. Researchers believe that the microbiota in people’s intestines reflecting a baby’s microbiota. They suspect that diet choices help support healthy gut bacteria that work wonders for overall gut health. In their published papers, researchers state, “Microorganisms are critical not only for the metabolite composition in our body but also in determining inflammation, gut permeability, cognition, and bone and muscle health.”Metabolism is a set of chemical reactions in the body’s cells that convert food into energy. It was found that Maria had a highly efficient metabolism, leading to lower levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol and higher levels of ‘good’ cholesterol. It also helped reduce inflammation. Additionally, her genes contributed to her having a stronger immune system, providing protection against heart disease and reducing the risk of cancer. To determine how Maria managed to celebrate so many birthdays, a team led by researchers at the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute in Spain conducted a comprehensive analysis, examining everything from her genes to her proteins, microbiome to metabolism. The study looked into DNA methylation, a chemical marker that affects gene expression and reflects biological age. Researchers found that in all algorithms, the biological age of the supercentenarian was significantly younger than their chronological age in the three tissues analyzed. Researchers note, “The consistency of all different age algorithms based on DNA methylation is striking.”Born on March 4, 1907, in San Francisco, Maria also spent time in Texas and New Orleans. Her family returned to Spain during World War I in 1915, settling in Catalonia. In 2020, she made headlines after contracting Covid, but was asymptomatic and recovered easily.