Those wishing to unlock the secret to living to 100 may be in luck, as scientists have revealed the one thing you need to eat three times a day to live a long and healthy life. Maria Branyas Morera was the oldest living person on the planet until she died aged 117 in August 2024 at the Residencia Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in Olot, in the Catalonia region of Spain, where she had lived since 2000.
Amazingly, Maria surpassed the average life expectancy of a Catalonian woman by a good 30 years. Prior to her death, Maria lived in the small town of Olot, where she spent her days reading books, playing with dogs, and spending time with friends and family, including her two daughters, each in their 90s. Unsurprisingly, she has become the subject of great interest to longevity experts, who have taken a deep dive into how she lived so long.
Scientists believe her thrice-daily yoghurt habit might “have played an important role in her healthy ageing”.
Whilst her favourite dairy treat was a local Catalan brand called La Fageda, which is a probiotic and contains high amounts of healthy bacteria, such as Lactobacillus delbrueckii bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, which combat inflammation.
She also followed a Mediterranean-rich diet full of fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, olive oil and some poultry and eggs, but little in the way of processed foods and red meat.
Scientists found her biological age to be 23 years younger than her actual age.
Dr Manel Esteller, the study’s lead, told The Telegraph: “She ate three yoghurts every day, and mostly plain natural ones without sugar, which are rich in some pretty good bacterial content.
“At the same time, she had genes that give you an advantage if you have this bacteria, because not everyone that eats these bacteria is able to keep them working in the gut – but she had a good combination.
“We know she had three yoghurts every day for almost 10 years, while she was close to her family in the same town and in an old people’s home. She had a very good, organised breakfast, lunch and dinner, and all this included yoghurt.”
Maria lived in Spain for 110 years and even survived COVID-19 aged 113. The US-born Spanish supercentenarian (those over 110 years old) also lived through two world wars and enjoyed daily walks to help her gut health.
