Study of World’s Oldest Woman Reveals Clues to Her Remarkable Longevity

In August 2024, Maria Branyas Morera — then recognized as the world’s oldest living person — passed away at the age of 117. Before her death, she asked doctors to study her body to better understand the secrets of her long life. Dr. Manel Esteller, chairman of genetics at the University of Barcelona’s School of Medicine, honored that request.

On Sept. 24, Esteller and a team of researchers published their findings in Cell Reports Medicine, analyzing Morera’s blood, saliva, urine, and stool samples. The study highlighted both her lifestyle choices and genetic advantages as key contributors to her longevity.

“She never smoked, she never drank alcohol, she liked to work until she could not,” Esteller told CNN. “She lived in the countryside, she did moderate exercise [mostly walking an hour a day]. She had a Mediterranean-style diet that included olive oil and yogurt.”

In addition to her lifestyle, Morera carried genetic variants that offered protection against conditions such as high cholesterol, dementia, heart disease, and cancer. “She had cells that seemed younger than her age,” Esteller explained to the New York Times.

One notable finding was Morera’s approach to inflammation, which Esteller described as a key driver of aging and disease. She reportedly helped counteract it by eating three yogurts daily.

Claire Steves, a professor of aging at King’s College London who was not involved in the study, told CNN that while the research is important, its findings shouldn’t be generalized, as aging varies widely between individuals. Still, she emphasized the value of identifying genes and proteins tied to healthy aging.

“Ill-health in age is not inevitable,” Steves said. “It comes about because of biological mechanisms … it’s something we can change. What we want to do is compress the time we’re unwell into as short a period as possible. That’s what this lady seems to have done, as well as living a very long life.”

In January 2023, Guinness World Records confirmed Morera as the oldest living person following the death of France’s 118-year-old Lucile Randon.

According to her obituary in the New York Times, Morera was married to a doctor for 40 years in Girona, Spain, and together they had three children and many grandchildren. She later lived at the Residència Santa María del Tura nursing home in Olot, Spain, where her daughter often helped her share photos and reflections on X.

“Life is not eternal for anyone,” she wrote in January 2023. “At my age, a new year is a gift, a humble celebration, a new adventure, a beautiful journey, a moment of happiness. Let’s enjoy life together.”

On Aug. 20, 2024, Morera’s family announced that she had died peacefully in her sleep. “Maria Branyas has left us. She has died as she wanted: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain,” they wrote in Catalan. “We will always remember her for her advice and kindness.”