It seems like people are living longer. My mom is 99 and more people seem to be living into their 90’s. While our health system has figured out how to improve the length of life with medications and medical interventions, the quality of those years is more important. Maria Branyas Morera, who lived to 117 in Spain may have won the genetic lottery, but there Genes and a healthy gut biome are only part of the story. Manel Esteller, chairman of genetics at the University of Barcelona’s School of Medicine, jumped at the chance to study Maria who passed away last summer and wanted scientists to learn from her long existence. They examined Ms. Branyas’s blood, saliva, urine and stool to try to learn why she lived so long. They learned that she followed a Mediterranean diet, walked an hour a day, avoided smoking and had genetic variants have been reported to protect against common risk factors like high cholesterol levels, dementia, heart disease and cancer. Her cells appeared to be younger for her age. The microbes that existed in her body help keep inflammation down. She had an abundance of Bifidobacterium, a beneficial bacteria whose growth can be spurred by bacteria in yogurt. Ms. Branyas ate three yogurts a day. High levels of inflammation will accelerate aging. She outlived one of her three children and played piano until 5 years ago and had a close social circle. While all of this is important, no one factor was responsible for her age and she lived her later years in a nursing home. Want to learn more? Read the NY Times article below. Scientists Study Genes of Woman Who Was the World’s Oldest Person