He was 117 years old, but his cells behaved as if they had 17 less. Maria Braryas Morera, until her death, which took place in Spain last August, the oldest woman in the world, would have reached this goal thanks to her genetics. A study of DNA and the Super Centenary microbioma would have highlighted the presence of genes that allowed its cells to feel younger.
The study
To give news of the discovery was the Catalan newspaper Ara. The research, which began when the Super Centenary was still alive, was led by the Genetics Professor of the University of Barcelona Manel Esteller. The experts noticed that the woman had a microbiota, the set of symbi -free microorganisms that coexist with the human body without damaging it, similar to that of a newborn. The only disorders he had in the final phase of his life were joint pain and hearing loss.
The lifestyle
Branyas has always led a lifestyle that can be called healthy. He followed a Mediterranean diet, ate three yogurt per day, avoided drinking alcohol and smoking. And then he loved long walks. In addition, it has always been surrounded by his loved ones. A proximity that would have helped her, the researchers write, to avoid physical and mental declines.
The life of Maria Braryas Morera
Branyas was born in San Francisco on March 4, 1907, after her parents had moved from Spain and Mexico to the United States. The woman also lived in Texas and New Orleans, before her family returned to Spain in 1915. For years she had been hospitalized in the Residencia Santa Maria del Tura de Olot institute. In 2020 he contracted Covid but without developing symptoms and without complications. Branyas, on the occasion of the award ceremony of the Guiness World Records organization, had attributed his longevity to “order, tranquility, good link with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no concern, no regrets, a lot of positivity and stay away from toxic people”. And of course “luck”, as he did not fail to clarify.