Maria Branyas, a 116-year-old Catalan, has already lived through two world wars, a civil war, the Russian revolution, a deadly earthquake and a huge fire since she was born in 1907, and still remains lucid, without cardiovascular or neurodegenerative problems. Science wants to know how. To this end, researchers began to examine the elderly woman’s DNA in order to discover secrets of longevity and new clues for treating diseases.
The study began with a visit to the woman in May, in the house where she lives in Catalonia (Spain), and is led by one of the world’s leading genetics researchers: Manel Esteller, director of the Josep Carreras Institute for Leukemia Research and professor of genetics at the University of Barcelona. He says that, genetically, Maria appears to be younger than she is chronologically.
She is over 116 years old chronologically. This is what the clock, the calendar says, but studying her genetic material in the laboratory, we already see that she is younger, at least ten years younger,” Esteller told the Spanish newspaper “ABC”.
Maria is the daughter of Spanish parents, but was born in San Francisco, in the United States. She went to Catalonia when she was eight years old and never left. On X (formerly Twitter), which she maintains with the help of one of her daughters, the elderly woman introduces herself as the “Catalan super grandmother” and, in the description, claims to be “old, very old, but not stupid”.
In addition to her standard of living, the centenarian also attributes the reason for having lived so long to genes and “luck”, and this is corroborated by Manel Esteller. She has no cardiovascular problems and can easily recall stories from her four years. His few health complications only include hearing and mobility issues.
— It is clear that there is a genetic component, as there are several members of his family who are over 90 years old — reported the genetics specialist.
During the visit, saliva, urine and blood samples were collected. Scientists will study six billion segments of DNA, focusing on 200 genes believed to be linked to aging.
— We hope that the study of Maria’s cells will give us new clues on how to treat neurodegenerative or cardiovascular diseases associated with age and cancer — said Esteller.
Maria Branyas previously shared that cutting out “toxic people,” avoiding “overeating” and eating plain yogurt every day were crucial ingredients for her long life.
