When María Branyas Morera died in 2024 at the age of 117, she left more than memories. She left science a gift: samples of her microbiome.
Your microbiome is the vast community of bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms that live in your intestines and help digest food, produce vitamins and influence your immune system.
Some of us may hit the genetic jackpot for longevity, but research has shown many things can play a stronger hand than genes in determining how long you live.
So just what did Maria do while she was alive that allowed her to live such a long, healthy life?
Researchers looked to her microbiome for her secrets…
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Maria’s diet gave her a diverse microbiome
Bifidobacterium is one of the most important gut microbes in the gut. In fact, it’s one of the first microbes to colonize the infant microbiome.
Throughout life, it supports immune function, protects against gastrointestinal disorders and helps regulate cholesterol.
Normally, with age, the gut microbiome becomes less diverse, and that affects its ability to contribute to good health.
But Maria’s gut microbiome was as diverse as that of a much younger adult and was especially rich in Bifidobacterium.
How did she end up with such a healthy gut?
Her diet.
Maria reported eating three yogurts every day that contained live bacteria, known to support the growth of Bifidobacterium. She also followed a largely Mediterranean diet, which has long been linked to gut microbiome diversity and the prevention of old age frailty.
And Maria was anything but frail. At the time of her death, she had no health complications other than hearing and mobility issues.
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Populate your microbiome for longevity
There may have been other factors, like efficient metabolism and low inflammation, that allowed Maria to live a long, healthy life.
But there’s no doubt that her diet was a major contributor.
You may not aspire to live to 117, but I’m sure you’d like to live a long life with your health intact.
Towards that, diet is the one thing you have the most control over. Use it to keep your microbiome as diverse as Maria’s was, and you should have a fighting chance.
Here are some things you should be including in your diet:
Fermented foods, such as yogurt, kefir, and kombucha, along with fermented vegetables like kimchi and sauerkraut, contain live bacteria that populate the microbiome and encourage the growth of Bifidobacterium.
Prebiotics are dietary fibers we can’t digest, but that our microbes thrive on, and are found in foods like onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, bananas, oats, and legumes.
Adopt a Mediterranean style of eating. Building your diet around fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes has been linked to both microbiome diversity and reduced disease risk. Make olive oil your main fat, and keep red meat, processed foods, and sugars to a minimum.
In addition, there are five foods researchers have found to be great at fighting inflammation (they contain a lot of polyphenols):
Throw those in the mix, and you’ll have the recipe for a long, healthy life!
Sources:
117-Year-Old Woman’s Diet Could Help Us All Live Longer — Science Alert
The multiomics blueprint of the individual with the most extreme lifespan — Cell Reports Medicine
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