Woman who lived to age 117 had genes keeping her cells 'younger', study shows [View all]

Source: The Guardian

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A study of Branyas’s microbiome and DNA that scientists began conducting before her death reportedly determined that the genes she inherited allowed her cells to essentially feel and behave as if they were 17 years younger than they actually were. And Branyas’s microbiota – which primarily refers to the bacteria in people’s guts that has a role in keeping them healthy – mirrored that of an infant, according to the research led by University of Barcelona genetics professor Manel Esteller, a leading expert on ageing.

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The researchers noted how Branyas made a number of healthy lifestyle choices that also helped her take advantage of her unique genetic makeup. She adhered to a Mediterranean diet that included three yogurts daily.

She avoided drinking alcohol and smoking, enjoyed walks, and constantly surrounded herself with family and loved ones, all of which apparently aided her in staving off declines both physical and mental that could have shortened her life, the researchers concluded.

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They said Branyas exemplified how ageing and sickness – at least in certain conditions – do not necessarily have to go hand-in-hand. And the results of the genetic study done on her “challenge the perception that [the two] are inexorably linked”, they also said, according to Spain’s EFE news service.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/13/supercentenarian-aging-genes-study

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We can't change our genetic heritage, but can control our lifestyle to some extent.

What caught my attention was the mention of "three yogurts daily" - which was probably the main factor in her microbiota, her gut bacteria, mirroring that of a healthy infant. I'm also curious about how often she was given antibiotics, which are harmful to gut bacteria.

I saw an article mentioning the brand of bacteria she preferred, La Fageda, which I'd never heard of. I have no idea how widely it's sold in the US, but I found a photo of the top of one carton showing it contained both bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, but not how many strains of each. There are a lot of different probiotic bacteria. Here's a 2021 PubMed article on health benefits of bifidobacteria: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8727868/ .

Good sources of probiotics unfortunately aren't cheap. The best probiotics in capsule form can cost more than a dollar a capsule, and a good yogurt or kefir (yogurt drink) can be over a dollar a cup, so you could spend a hundred dollars a month trying to match her intake of probiotics. But if you aren't getting any - and especially if you've been prescribed antibiotics at all recently - it would be a good idea to start getting some probiotics (though the cheaper yogurts typically have small amounts of helpful bacteria and high amounts of sugar).