Gut health study of world’s oldest person reveals lifestyle key to longevity

Scientists have discovered a “blueprint” for long life by decoding the genome, gut health and lifestyle of the world’s oldest person who died last year at 117.

Maria Branyas Morera, an American-Catalan Caucasian woman, was born in March 1907 in San Francisco, US, and died in August 2024.

While centenarians are becoming more common thanks to advances in health care, supercentenarians aged over 110 are still extremely rare.

Morera exceeded the average life expectancy of Catalonia, Spain, by over 30 years. She attributed her longevity to “luck and good genetics” and to “avoiding toxic people”.

A yet-to-be peer-reviewed study analysed her genes, microbiome and lifestyle to find the cells in her body functioned as if they were 17 years younger than her actual age. And her gut health was extremely youthful, resembling that of a child.

For the new study, researchers developed a comprehensive analysis platform to assess different tissues of Morera for the activity of her genome and proteins as well as microbes living on them.

They compared the results with data from non-supercentenarian populations. Scientists found the supercentenarian’s genome likely contained variations linked to a stronger immune system, reduced cancer risk and protection from heart disease.

They particularly probed a type of genome activity modification that happens normally in the body called DNA methylation, which has been linked in previous studies to ageing.

“DNA methylation is probably the most studied epigenetic mark in cell biology and disease, being also disrupted as we age,” the study noted.

In this measure, Morera was “an outlier”, exhibiting a “much younger biological age than her real chronological age” across three different tissues.

Morera also appeared to have an efficient lipid metabolism with low levels of VLDL cholesterol and triglycerides, which are linked to heart disease.

“Overall, these data suggest that one of the reasons that our supercentenarian reached such a world record age was that her cells ‘felt’ or ‘behaved’ as younger cells, with a biological age of a centenarian,” the study noted.

She had a healthy gut with what researchers described as an “anti-inflammatory” microbiome.

Morera’s gut was rich in Bifidobacterium, a type of bacteria known for its anti-inflammatory properties. “Microorganisms are critical in determining not only the metabolite composition of our body, but also inflammation, intestinal permeability, cognition, and bone and muscle health,” researchers explained.

However, the exact link between the community of microbes living in one’s body and longevity remains unclear.

Morera had said she avoided alcohol and smoking, enjoyed daily walks, and followed a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, along with three yoghurts a day.

A growing body of research has found links between a high-fibre and probiotic-rich Mediterranean diet to a healthy gut.

“The picture that emerges from our study shows that extremely advanced age and poor health are not intrinsically linked,” the study concluded.