I’m the oldest woman in the world but I have NO health problems… now scientists think I may hold the key to immortality
Maria Branyas, 116, shares the crucial ingredients to her long life – as scientists hope her DNA may uncover clues to help cure diseases
THE SUN
A SPANISH “Super Grandmother” is the oldest woman in the world, surviving Covid, a civil war, a deadly earthquake, and a major fire.
Incredibly, the 116-year-old has no health complications other than hearing and mobility issues – and scientists want to know how.
He explained: “It is clear that there is a genetic component because there are several members of her family who are over 90 years old.”
Maria was born in San Francisco on March 4, 1907 to an expatriate Spanish family, returning to Catalonia in 1915 as her journalist father’s health – and financial situation – declined.
The 116-year-old previously said: “I have always eaten little, but everything, and I have never followed any regime.
“I have not suffered from any illness or been through an operating room.”
She credited her long life to having “order, tranquillity, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, lots of positivity and away from toxic people” – as well as genes and “luck”.
The study will analyse six billion segments of Maria’s DNA, focusing on 200 genes that are directly related to ageing, with the results compared to her 79-year-old middle daughter.
Known as the “Super Grandmother”, Maria has another older daughter who is 90 and a son who died in an accident at 77.
Dr Esteller said he hoped the study would allow for the development of drugs capable of addressing neurodegenerative or cardiovascular diseases associated with age and cancer.
