Maria Branyas, the oldest woman in the world at 116, has agreed to help Spanish scientists see if they can discover the secrets of her longevity.
Scientists are studying the world’s oldest person to try to unearth the secret to a long life, after being bewildered by the “super grandmother’s” great health at 116 years old. Maria Branyas doesn't live in a recognised Blue Zone and is still highly lucid, with no apparent neurodegenerative or cardiovascular diseases.
She was born in San Fransisco in 1907 but returned to Spain when she was eight and settled in Catalonia. She's known to her 14,000 X followers as Super Àvia Catalana, has lived in the region ever since and has resided in the same nursing home for the last two decades, according to the Guinness World Records.
Now, this super grandmother has agreed to undergo scientific testing - which researchers hope will further their understanding of certain illnesses associated with old age, such as neurodegenerative or cardiovascular diseases.
Despite her age, Ms Branyas has no health complications other than hearing (she lost her hearing in one ear in a childhood accident) and some mobility issues. “She has a completely lucid head,” scientist Manel Esteller told ABC, a Spanish media outlet. “She does not present any cardiovascular disease, common in elderly people.”
If you think that this remarkable woman must have had an easy life, think again. She survived an earthquake while she was in the US, a major fire, both world wars, the Spanish Flu pandemic (1918-1920), the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and, more recently, she also survived Covid-19.
“We know Maria’s chronological age, 116 years, but we must determine her biological age,” Mr Esteller - a highly regarded Spanish scientist focusing on genetics and how they apply to health conditions - told ABC, believing that “she is much younger” physically.
The scientist has taken biological samples of her saliva, blood and urine. These are thought to be the “longest-lived” biological samples and have great scientific value, Josep Carreras, the head of a leukaemia research institute, informed ABC.
Ms Branyas often has been asked what her secret is to her long life, and she uses her X account to post her advice for others. She attributed her longevity to “order, tranquillity, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic people”.
However, she also credits a great amount of luck.