Luck and good genetics: longevity lessons from the world’s oldest woman
This month (August 2024), American—born Spaniard Maria Branyas Morera died at the age of 117. At the time of her death, she was the oldest alive, and the eighth oldest person to have ever lived. Needless to say, for years, scientists and the media had been fascinated by the ’secrets’ of her longevity.
Born in San Francisco in 1907, Ms Branyas lived through a remarkable sequence of personal and world events. The family moved to Texas and New Orleans, before she returned to Spain as a child in 1915. She survived the Spanish Civil War and the Franco regime, and had clear memories of major events from WWI, including the D-Day landings in Normandy.
A quiet life
Ms Branyas married and lived in the same town in Spain for 40 years living, as her daughter Rosa described, “A quiet life, without work stress.” With more than a dozen grandchildren, Ms Branyas thrived on new technology, as the New York Times explained :
“Before the emergence of the telephone, Ms. Branyas came to embrace the digital revolution, fashioning herself on social media as “Super Àvia Catalana,” or “Super Catalan Grandma.” She posted bite-size pieces of life advice, observations and jokes to thousands of followers. In her biography on X, she wrote, “I’m old, very old, but not an idiot.””
Secrets of longevity
Despite being one of only a few “supercentenarians” to have lived well beyond he age of 100, in an interview with Spanish newspaper El País, she stated that: “I haven’t done anything special to get to this age.”
Whilst she had hearing and vision loss, and mobility issues, she had no indications of dementia, cancer, heart disease or any other chronic condition.
Dr. Manel Esteller, chairman of genetics at the University of Barcelona, studied Ms. Branyas’ genetics and identified two of the key factors in her long life as:
- Genes that protected her DNA against damage
- That her cells aged slower than she did, giving her a lower biological age
In addition, Ms. Branyas’s experiences as “a survivor of war and various hardships” may also have helped her live longer. Indeed, Ms Branyas herself thought that “Longevity is also about being lucky. Luck and good genetics.”
Longevity, lifestyle and diet
Lifestyle and diet also probably played a major part. Ms. Branyas did not smoke, and took moderate exercise throughout her life. She had low levels of fat and sugar in her blood, probably due in part to her traditional Catalan diet, rich in olive oils and low in processed food. She also ate a lot of yoghurt, which has been shown to be beneficial to gut health and the gut biome, along with other fermented foods.
Top tips from Super Àvia Catalana
Ms Branyas also had her own list of longevity tips which she shared with the Guinness World Records website:
“Order, tranquility, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic people. ”
Talking to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, she said:
“I just want to have the serenity to handle whatever comes my way and enough happiness to savor the good stuff … The day I have to leave for good, I hope a few folks will think it was worth having me around for a bit. That’s all I want.”
That sounds like a plan we can all sign up to, whatever our age!
Home care for centenarians (and other seniors)
Whatever your age, we’re here to help with expert home care services to enable you to live independently in your own home for longer. Contact us to discuss your requirements or those of a loved one:
