What Geneticists Have Discovered in Their Search for the Secrets of Longevity
Modern gerontology has long held the prevailing theory that extreme longevity is simply a very slow decline of the body. However, a large-scale molecular genetic study of biological samples from Spanish-American supercentenarian Maria Brañas Morera, who died at the age of 117 years and 168 days, has completely refuted this thesis.
An international team of scientists led by Professor Manel Esteller from the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute conducted an unprecedented multi-omics analysis of her DNA, plasma proteins, and microbiome. The results, published in the prestigious journal Cell Reports Medicine*, showed that the supercentenarian's cells were not "old" at all—according to all key epigenetic clocks, their biological age was 20–23 years younger than their calendar age. At the same time, her body did not simply passively avoid illness, but actively suppressed the mechanisms of aging at a deep chemical level.
The geneticists' key discovery was the almost complete absence of chronic systemic inflammation (known as inflammaging) in Maria Brañas's body, which in modern medicine is considered the main trigger for cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and dementia. Seven rare mutations were found in her genome, responsible for increased immune resistance, efficient mitochondrial function, and rapid cellular detoxification during stress.
Furthermore, her blood biochemistry profile demonstrated ideal lipid metabolism, characterized by extremely low triglyceride levels and high concentrations of "good" cholesterol (HDL), which completely protected her blood vessels from atherosclerosis. Remarkably, even her immune system, despite the inevitable age-related mutations in blood stem cells, kept potentially dangerous inflammatory processes under tight control.
For millions of ordinary people striving to prolong their active lives, this study offers a crucial practical implication: genetic luck is only part of the equation, while the architecture of healthy aging can be modified through the gut microbiome. Analysis revealed that the bacterial composition of the 117-year-old woman's gastrointestinal tract was radically different from that of typical older adults and was abundant with beneficial microorganisms of the genus Bifidobacterium, whose levels typically decline rapidly after age 60.
Professor Estelier emphasized that this "youthful" pattern was directly supported by dietary habits: for the last twenty years of her life, Maria Branyas ate three servings of natural yogurt with live cultures daily. Thus, science has proven that targeted dietary interventions and a Mediterranean diet can restructure the microbiome landscape, effectively reducing systemic inflammation and prolonging the biological youth of cells, even despite underlying genetic predisposition.
