Maria Branyas Morera, the world’s oldest person, passed away at the age of 117 in Spain. Researchers studied her lifestyle, Mediterranean diet, love for yogurt, efficient metabolism, and strong genes. These factors contributed to her longevity and overall health. Findings about her microbiome and biological age provide insights into living a long and healthy life. Who wouldn’t want to live a healthy and long life? However, there are many obstacles that can shorten the journey towards a healthy life. American-born supercentenarian Maria Branyas Morera passed away last August in Spain. At the time of her death, she officially held the title of the world’s oldest living person at 117 years and 168 days. Her long and healthy life was studied by a research team at the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute in Spain. This team analyzed what worked for her, from her genes to her microbiome and metabolism, and made some interesting discoveries. The yet-to-be peer-reviewed report takes a look at the cellular mechanisms of a supercentenarian and suggests some findings that may help in living a long life, especially past the age of 100. So, what was the secret to her long life? One of the most important factors that help people live past 100 is following an active lifestyle that provides enough opportunities to socialize. Researchers found that Maria Branyas maintained a mentally, socially, and physically active lifestyle. She also spent quality time with her family and friends, which are important factors that keep dementia at bay. Maria followed the Mediterranean diet, which reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and brain health issues. The Mediterranean diet typically includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, olive oil, dairy products, eggs, fish, and poultry in low to moderate amounts. This supercentenarian enjoyed eating yogurt, which could be the secret to her healthy microbiome. According to researchers, the microbiota in people’s intestines reflected that of an infant. They believe that diet choices help support healthy gut bacteria that work wonders for overall gut health. In their published papers, researchers write, “Microorganisms play a critical role not only in determining the metabolic composition of our bodies. They are also crucial in determining inflammation, gut permeability, cognition, bone, and muscle health.” Metabolism is a collection of chemical reactions in the body’s cells that convert food into energy. It was found that Maria had a highly efficient metabolism, leading to lower levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol and higher levels of ‘good’ cholesterol. It also helped reduce inflammation. Maria’s genes also helped her have a stronger immune system, providing protection against heart disease and reducing the risk of cancer. To determine how Maria managed to celebrate so many birthdays, a research team led by investigators from the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute in Spain conducted a comprehensive analysis of everything from her genes to her proteins, microbiome, and metabolism. The study examined DNA methylation, a chemical marker that affects gene expression and reflects biological age. Researchers found that in all algorithms, the supercentenarian’s biological age was significantly younger in the three tissues analyzed than her chronological age. Researchers write, “It is remarkable that all different age algorithms based on DNA methylation give the same result.” Born on March 4, 1907, in San Francisco, Maria spent time in Texas and New Orleans. Her family returned to Spain during the First World War in 1915 and settled in Catalonia. She made headlines in 2020 after contracting Covid, but she was asymptomatic and recovered easily.