She Lived to 117: Scientists Studied Her DNA and Found a Daily Food That May Have Helped

Living past 100 is rare. Reaching 110 is extraordinary.

But María Branyas Morera went even further.

When she died on August 19, 2024, she was 117 years and 168 days old and had been recognized as the world's oldest living person. Born in San Francisco in 1907 to Spanish parents, she moved to Spain as a child and spent most of her life in Catalonia.

Her remarkable age naturally raised a fascinating question:

What allowed her to live so long while avoiding many of the serious diseases normally associated with extreme old age?

Before her death, María allowed scientists to study her biology in extraordinary detail.

What they discovered may change the way we think about aging.

And among all the complicated findings involving DNA, metabolism and the immune system, researchers also noticed something surprisingly simple about her diet:

She regularly ate yogurt.

Scientists Looked Far Beyond Her DNA

Rather than simply sequencing María's genes, researchers performed what is known as a multiomics analysis.

They examined several layers of her biology, including her:

• Genome

• Gene activity

• Proteins

• Metabolism

• Gut microbiome

• Epigenome

Blood, saliva, urine and stool samples allowed scientists to build an unusually detailed picture of what was happening inside the body of someone who had lived more than three decades beyond the average life expectancy for women in her region.

The study, published in Cell Reports Medicine, revealed something remarkable.

María clearly showed certain biological signs of extreme aging — yet at the same time, many systems in her body looked unusually healthy.

Her Body Was Old — But Parts of It Behaved Much Younger

Some of María's biological markers looked exactly as scientists would expect in someone of extreme age.

For example, her telomeres — protective structures at the ends of chromosomes — were exceptionally short. Researchers also detected changes in some immune cells and blood-forming cells associated with advanced aging.

But other findings told a very different story.

She carried uncommon genetic variants associated with better cardiovascular health, immune function and protection against several age-related diseases.

She also showed:

• Very low levels of systemic inflammation

• Favorable lipid metabolism

• Strong immune function

• A remarkably healthy gut microbiome

• Epigenetic patterns associated with a younger biological age

This unusual combination led researchers to an important conclusion: growing extremely old does not necessarily mean becoming extremely sick.

In María's case, the processes of aging and disease appeared to be partially separated.

Her Biological Age Appeared Years Younger

One of the most striking findings came from her epigenome.

Scientists can estimate biological age by studying chemical modifications attached to DNA. These patterns form what researchers sometimes call an epigenetic clock.

When several of these clocks were applied to María's samples, they consistently estimated her biological age as younger than her chronological age.

Some analyses suggested that her biological age was, on average, about 23 years younger than her actual age.

In other words, although María was 116 when many of the samples were collected, certain molecular features of her body resembled those expected in someone considerably younger.

Then Researchers Looked at Her Gut

One finding was especially intriguing.

The gut microbiome normally changes dramatically with age.

Beneficial bacteria often decline while microbial diversity can deteriorate. But María's gut contained unusually high levels of Bifidobacterium, a group of bacteria commonly associated with gut health and typically found at higher levels in younger people.

Researchers described aspects of her microbiome as having a surprisingly youthful profile.

And that is where her diet becomes interesting.

The Food She Ate Every Day: Yogurt

María reportedly ate three plain yogurts a day during the later years of her life.

She otherwise followed a Mediterranean-style diet that included foods such as fish, olive oil and fruit, and she generally ate modest portions.

Because yogurt containing live cultures can support beneficial gut microbes, researchers believe her long-term yogurt habit may have contributed to the unusual composition of her microbiome.

In particular, it may have helped create conditions favorable to bacteria such as Bifidobacterium.

That does not mean eating three yogurts every day will make someone live to 117.

But it provides scientists with an interesting clue.

Why Yogurt Could Matter

Traditional yogurt is a fermented food.

Depending on how it is produced, it can contain live microorganisms that interact with the enormous ecosystem of bacteria already living inside the human digestive tract.

The gut microbiome has increasingly been linked to:

• Immune regulation

• Inflammation

• Digestion

• Metabolic health

• Blood-sugar regulation

• Production of certain biologically active compounds

Researchers studying María believe the combination of probiotics from fermented foods and fiber from her broader Mediterranean diet may have helped support her unusually healthy microbial environment.

Separate population research has also found an association between yogurt consumption and a lower likelihood of accelerated biological aging, although such observational research cannot prove that yogurt itself causes longer life.

Yogurt Was Only One Piece of the Puzzle

Focusing only on yogurt would miss perhaps the most important lesson from María's life.

She had several factors working in her favor.

Her genetics appear to have been unusually protective.

Her lifestyle was also remarkably healthy.

Reports from researchers indicate that she:

• Never smoked

• Did not regularly drink alcohol

• Followed a Mediterranean-style diet

• Ate relatively lightly

• Remained physically active

• Walked and gardened into old age

• Maintained social connections

These factors were accompanied by excellent metabolic markers and low levels of inflammation.

So there was probably no single “secret” to her longevity.

Instead, María's exceptional lifespan appears to have resulted from an unusual interaction between genes and lifestyle.

Her Short Telomeres Reveal Another Surprise

One of the stranger discoveries involved her telomeres.

Telomeres generally become shorter as we age, and short telomeres are often associated with cellular aging.

María's were extremely short.

At first glance, that might seem inconsistent with exceptional longevity.

But longevity biology is complicated.

Researchers noted that very short telomeres could potentially limit the ability of some abnormal cells to continue dividing. This raises the intriguing possibility that a feature normally considered a hallmark of aging might have different consequences at extreme ages.

It is another reminder that there may not be one simple biological measurement that determines how well or how long someone will live.

The Bigger Lesson May Be About “Healthspan”

Perhaps the most important discovery from María's case is not that humans can live to 117.

It is that extreme age and serious disease do not always have to occur together.

Despite possessing some unmistakable molecular signs of aging, María avoided many major age-related diseases for an unusually long time.

Her case suggests that extending healthspan — the number of years spent relatively healthy — may be just as important as trying to increase lifespan itself.

Scientists hope that studying supercentenarians could eventually reveal biological pathways that help protect against cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, neurodegeneration and chronic inflammation.

Those discoveries might someday lead to treatments designed not simply to make people live longer, but to help them remain healthier as they age.

Should You Start Eating Three Yogurts a Day?

Not necessarily.

María was a single extraordinary individual, and researchers themselves caution that findings from one supercentenarian cannot automatically be applied to everyone.

More studies involving larger groups of people are needed before scientists can determine which of her biological characteristics actually caused her exceptional longevity.

Still, fermented foods such as yogurt can form part of a healthy diet for many people.

If choosing yogurt, a simple variety with live cultures and little added sugar may generally be preferable to highly sweetened varieties.

And the broader pattern of María's lifestyle may matter far more than any single food:

Eat well, stay active, avoid smoking, maintain social connections and support long-term metabolic health.

The Bottom Line

Scientists did not discover one magical food that allowed María Branyas Morera to live to 117.

What they found was more interesting.

Her body contained an extraordinary combination of protective genetics, efficient metabolism, unusually low inflammation, a youthful gut microbiome and a younger-than-expected epigenetic profile.

And her daily yogurt habit may have contributed to one piece of that puzzle — her remarkably healthy gut bacteria.

But yogurt alone cannot explain 117 years of life.

María's case instead suggests that exceptional longevity may emerge when favorable genetics meet decades of healthy habits.

That may be the most useful lesson of all:

There may be no single secret to living longer — but the choices we repeat every day could help create the biological environment in which healthier aging becomes possible.

This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical or nutritional advice.