When María Branyas Morera, the world’s oldest person, died in 2024 at age 117, she left behind a scientific gift: samples of her gut microbiome.
Key Findings
- Her microbiome was as diverse and youthful as that of someone decades younger, rich in beneficial Bifidobacterium – bacteria linked to strong immunity, gut health, and longevity.
- Normally, gut diversity declines with age, leading to frailty. Her unusually high levels of beneficial microbes may have supported her resilience.
- Contributing factors included her Mediterranean diet and daily habit of eating three live yoghurts, both of which promote microbial diversity.
Why It Matters
- While genetics played a role in her longevity, lifestyle and diet had greater influence over the microbiome.
- Fermented foods (yoghurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut) and prebiotics (from onions, garlic, legumes, oats, bananas) help sustain a healthy microbiome.
- A Mediterranean-style diet rich in plants, olive oil, fish, and legumes – with minimal red meat and processed foods – supports both gut health and reduced disease risk.
Other foods that encourage Bifidobacterium include kefir, kombucha and fermented vegetables such as kimchi and sauerkraut. These contain probiotics – live bacteria that can settle in the gut and confer health benefits.
There is no single formula for living past 110, but nurturing a diverse microbiome is strongly linked to better health, resilience, and lower risk of chronic disease. Branyas’ case underscores that while we cannot control our genes, we can influence our gut health – and potentially extend our healthspan – through diet and lifestyle.
