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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →María Branyas Morera consented to research on her own body while she was still alive. Scientists found a mix of favorable biological signals: low inflammation, efficient immune and lipid-handling profiles, a gut microbiome rich in Bifidobacterium, and an epigenetic-clock estimate that put her biological age about 23 years below her real age. They did not find a recipe for reaching 117. This was a study of one woman, so it can suggest hypotheses but cannot show what caused her long life.
Who she was and when the samples were taken
According to the University of Leicester, Branyas was officially the world’s oldest person from 17 January 2023 until she died on 19 August 2024, aged 117 years and 168 days. The research team collected samples when she was 116. Leicester lists blood, saliva and stool. CBS News reports that urine, collected at different times, was also part of the sampling.
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What the researchers examined
The work was not a single genetic test. The team looked at several layers of biology at once:
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- Genetics: her genome and its variants.
- Proteomics: blood proteins, compared against profiles from women of different age groups.
- Epigenetics: DNA methylation, used to estimate biological age with an epigenetic clock.
- Microbiome: the bacteria in her gut.
- Lifestyle information: including diet.
The findings were published in Cell Reports Medicine. The details below come from the University of Leicester’s account of the work and CBS News coverage. Exact assay values are in the paper itself.
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What they reported
A genome with longevity-linked variants
Team leader Manel Esteller said: “She had an exceptional genome enriched in variants in genes that are associated with enhanced lifespan in other species, such as dogs, worms and flies.” Leicester also reports variants linked to lower blood lipid levels and a lower risk of certain pathologies.
Favorable blood and immune signals
The reported profile included low inflammation, strong lipid transport, detoxification and antioxidant responses, and an efficient immune system.
A distinctive gut microbiome
Her gut had elevated Actinobacteriota, including Bifidobacterium, a group of bacteria generally regarded as beneficial.
A biological age far below her chronological age
Using the epigenetic clock, Esteller said: “Her biological age was an average 23 years younger than her chronological age, one of the reasons that she was alive.” Read this as a study-specific estimate from a methylation-based model. It does not mean every organ or tissue was literally 23 years younger.
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| Measure | Value | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Chronological age at death | 117 years, 168 days | Documented age (University of Leicester) |
| Age at sample collection | 116 | Documented age (University of Leicester) |
| Epigenetic-clock estimate | About 23 years younger, on average | Model-based estimate for this one person, quoted from Esteller |
Did yogurt help her live to 117?
Leicester reports that she ate three servings of plain, sugar-free yogurt a day. The researchers saw her Bifidobacterium-rich microbiome and considered the diet a plausible influence. They were cautious. As quoted by CBS News, they wrote that “whether the dominance of the Bifidobacterium [beneficial gut bacteria] related genus is fully attributable or not to the yogurt diet cannot be completely confirmed since that would have required a longitudinal study with sample collection over several years.” They added: “However, we believe that it is likely that a beneficial effect of yogurt ingestion via modulation of the gut ecosystem could have contributed to her well-being and advanced age.”
That is a hypothesis, not a result. Nothing in the study tested yogurt as an intervention, so it gives no basis for calling yogurt a longevity treatment. If you like plain, unsweetened yogurt, her case is no reason to avoid it. It is also no reason to expect extra years from it.
Rank #4
Genes plus lifestyle, not one cause
Esteller, identified by CBS as chairman of Genetics at the University of Barcelona’s School of Medicine, summed it up this way: “The conclusion is that the clues for extreme longevity are a mix between what we inherited from our parents and what we do in our lives.” This is a general interpretation. The study did not measure how much of her longevity came from genes and how much from habits.
Why one case can’t be generalized
- No comparison group for cause. With one person, there is no way to separate which traits drove her longevity from those that were incidental.
- Just-so stories. Richard Faragher of the University of Brighton, quoted by Leicester, warned of the danger that an unusual gene variant gets turned into a scientific “just-so story” about ageing.
- Survivorship bias. Faragher also raised this alternative. We study the rare person who lived very long, so many ordinary traits may look special in hindsight.
- No effect sizes. The coverage reports no cohort-level longevity effect and no controlled yogurt result.
The value of the case is that it gives researchers specific leads, such as immune function, lipid handling and the gut microbiome, to test in larger groups.
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