When María Branyas Morera died in 2024 at age 117, she left more than memories; before her death she had donated stool samples for microbiome research and credited a Mediterranean diet topped off with three daily yogurts for her health.
Those samples formed the basis of a paper in Cell Reports Medicine that found her gut remained biologically young, with microbial diversity typical of much younger adults and an unusually high abundance of the bacterial family Bifidobacteriaceae, including Bifidobacterium, organisms linked to immune support and gastrointestinal protection.
Diet appeared decisive. Her habit of eating three live-culture yogurts each day supplied probiotics that favor Bifidobacterium, while Mediterranean meals rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, and fish provided the prebiotic fibers those bacteria use. “Yogurt contributes to reducing chronic inflammation, one of the main factors in the aging process,” said Dr. Manel Esteller.
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Genetic analysis showed she carried mutations that protected against several common diseases, but the study stated that lifestyle exerted a stronger influence on her microbiome. “The microbiome is a controllable factor, unlike genes, making its results more important to the general public,” the team wrote. “We may not all have the genes of Maria Branyas, but we can adopt her dietary lifestyle,” said one researcher, according to Sky News.
While advancing age usually erodes microbial diversity, Branyas’s microbiome resembled that of people decades younger, and her Bifidobacterium levels matched those observed in other centenarians. The authors concluded that such a robust gut ecosystem likely helped shield her digestive and immune systems.
Branyas never smoked, avoided alcohol, and consistently chose fish, olive oil, and yogurt over red meat or ultra-processed food. “Stay away from toxic people,” she once advised, according to Adevarul. Fermented foods such as kefir, kombucha, kimchi, and sauerkraut, along with onions, garlic, bananas, legumes, and oats, can further nourish Bifidobacterium and other beneficial microbes—steps the study suggested anyone could follow.
The researchers cautioned that they examined only one person and did not claim her microbiome alone explained a 117-year lifespan. They added that no single microbial profile guarantees longevity, yet evidence indicated that a diverse, balanced gut community supports resilience at every age.