Secrets Of A 117-year-old Woman's Long Life, Revealed From DNA

Maria Branyas (Photo: Instagram/@guinnesworldrecord)

JAKARTA - Humans who can pass the age of 110 are called supercentenarians. But is there a secret to being able to live a healthy life of over 100 years old?

This question resurfaced after scientists examined Maria Branyas' DNA, the woman from Spain who was named the oldest human in the world before she died in 2024 at the age of 117. Researchers found one of the reasons Maria could live that long. The reason is that Maria's genome remains young, even though she is very old.

Reporting from the Science Alert page, a team of scientists from the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute at Barcelona found several variants of rare genes in Maria. These genes are related to longevity, endurance, and heart and brain health.

The results of analysis from blood, saliva, urine, to intestinal samples show that her body cells seem to behave much younger than their true age. It exceeds the average life expectancy of women in Catalonia for up to 30 years longer.

The surprising thing is, even though she is very old, Maria's health remains extraordinary. The things found:

- The heart remains healthy and almost inflammatory.

- The immune system and the gut microbiome are similar to people who are much younger.

- Bad cholesterol and triglycerides are very low.

- Cholesterol is actually very high.

All of these factors are thought to have played a role in keeping his body in shape at dusk.

In addition to genetic factors, Maria also lives an active life, both physically, socially, and mentally. She is used to eating typical Mediterranean foods, including yogurt that is rich in nutrients. However, scientists emphasize that extreme longevity is usually a combination of genetic factors, the environment, and lifestyle.

There are other interesting things. Researchers found the telomere, which is that the protection at the tips of Maria's chromodynamics is already very short. Usually, short telomeres are associated with a higher risk of death. But in Maria, this condition is suspected of giving benefits. Short-lived body cells prevent cancer from developing.

Although this research is only for one person, Maria's findings provide great opportunities to understand the secret of healthy aging. According to the lead researcher, longevity does not mean having to be synonymous with pain.

Wider studies are still needed, but the same pattern is also found in other groups of long-lived people. There is a special biomarker that makes some people more resistant to disease and able to live much longer than the average.

Currently, the number of centenarians (aged 100 years and over) continues to accelerate. But only 1 in 10 people managed to reach the age of 110. That's why Maria Branyas is a rare case that is very valuable to science. This paved the way for understanding how humans can live healthier and longer.