The Secret to a 117-Year Life: What We Can Learn From Maria Branyas Morera

Maria Branyas Morera lived through two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, and two pandemics—the 1918 flu and COVID-19. A supercentenarian, she lived to be 117, making her the world’s oldest living person before her passing in August 2024. When asked by the Guinness World Records about the secret to her longevity, US-born Branyas—who showed no signs of heart disease, cancer, or dementia—credited “luck and good genetics.” New research suggests she was right.

A study led by aging expert Manel Esteller of the University of Barcelona found that Branyas’ DNA and gut microbiome functioned as if they belonged to someone much younger. Her cells behaved as though they were nearly two decades younger, while her microbiome resembled that of an infant, according to Esteller and his team.

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While genetics undoubtedly played a significant role in her long and healthy life, researchers also pointed to her lifestyle. She abstained from alcohol and smoking, engaged in regular moderate exercise, and followed a Mediterranean diet—all factors that likely contributed to her exceptional longevity. In fact, her lifestyle was very similar to the people of the world’s Blue Zones, five hotspots where people seem to live longer, healthier lives, well into their 80s, 90s, and beyond.

According to Guinness World Records, Branyas knew that “order, tranquility, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic people”—as well as genetics—helped her survive in good health for so long. This echoes the Power 9, which are nine lifestyle behaviors that unite the world’s Blue Zones (in Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, CA in the US). 

The Power 9 includes things like natural movement, a sense of purpose, staying social, and a lack of chronic stress. It also includes diet—like Branyas, Blue Zoners tend to follow a plant-forward Mediterranean pattern of eating.

Blue Zones

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Can diet and lifestyle help you live longer?

According to the researchers, Branyas’ healthy choices likely helped her take advantage of her genetics. She regularly consumed yogurt, for example, which is beneficial for gut health, and she ate plenty of plants. 

The Mediterranean diet is characterized by plant-based whole foods, including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds, which tend to be high in fiber (also beneficial for gut health), essential vitamins, and potent plant compounds that help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. Over time, both can increase the risk of disease. 

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Not everyone can benefit from Branyas’ unique genetics, but research suggests that there are things we can all do to help our longevity. In the US, where the average life expectancy is around 77 years old, most do not follow a Mediterranean-style diet, but the Standard American Diet, which is high in ultra-processed foods and processed meat. This way of eating has been linked with an increased risk of chronic diseases, including cancer and heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the country.

 “The average American eats about 240 pounds of meat, which is driving much of our type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certainly cancers in the GI tract, and I would even argue dementia,” Dan Buettner, a National Geographic explorer who has spent more than two decades studying and learning from the Blue Zones, told GQ last year. 

Indeed, in 2023, research focused on the UK (where the majority of diets are also heavily made up of ultra-processed foods) found that eating more whole foods, like whole grains and nuts, and consuming fewer sugary drinks and processed meat could help those in their 40s potentially gain an extra decade of life expectancy. The study, which was published in the journal Nature, noted that “unhealthy diets are estimated to cause more than 75,000 premature deaths each year.”

In January 2025, the US News & World Report also crowned the Mediterranean diet as the healthiest diet for the eighth year in a row. The publication compiles its annual report with the help of more than 40 dietitians. “The Mediterranean diet focuses on diet quality rather than a single nutrient or food group,” notes the publication. “Numerous studies have shown that it reduces the risk of chronic health conditions, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes while promoting longevity and improving quality of life.”