María Branyas Morera, born to a Spanish family in San Francisco in 1907, recently passed away at the age of 117, making her the world's oldest person at the time of her death.
Branyas lived through major historical events. Branyas credited her longevity to genetics, lifestyle choices, diet, emotional stability, positivity, and a good connection with family and friends.
In 1915 her family moved back to Catalonia, after her father declared bankruptcy. Her father died of tuberculosis during the voyage, and she lost her hearing in one ear falling from the upper deck at the age of 7. The family first resettled in Barcelona, and then moved to Banyoles. Her mother later remarried.
Branyas married a doctor and had three children. Two of her daughters are still alive, and one son died in a tractor accident at the age of 86.
During the Spanish Civil War she worked as a nurse.
After Branyas' death, Tomiko Itooka, a 116-year-old former mountaineer from Japan, became the oldest living person. The record for the oldest person ever is held by Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who lived to be 122 years and 164 days.
The number of people living over 100 years has been increasing, with an estimated 3.7 million supercentenarians by 2050. Their healthy aging may relate to unique characteristics of their T cells and strong immune systems.
Branyas' exceptional longevity was attributed to good genetics, low levels of fat and sugar in her blood, and her cells aging more slowly than average. There is no singular secret to a long life, with lifestyle factors, genetics, and individual choices all play a role.
Branyas survived the COVID-19 pandemic at the age of 113 and recovered in April 2020, becoming the oldest known survivor at that time.
In her final days, Branyas expressed readiness for death, wanting to be found smiling, free, and satisfied, and urged her loved ones not to cry or suffer for her.
Her status as the oldest living woman and person was confirmed by Guinness World Records.
Sources: National Geographic, NBC News, Independent, New York Times, Newsweek, The Guardian, Live Science, ABC News, USA Today, Le Monde, New York Post, El País, Al Jazeera, Yahoo News, Infobae, MetroTV, Times of India, Proceso, Japan Times, Diario Uno.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
