Researchers are studying the world’s oldest person to try to discover the secret of a long life, after they were puzzled by the remarkable health of the 116-year-old “super-grandmother”. Maria Branias is the oldest person in the world, she is 116 years old, and she has agreed to help Spanish scientists learn the secret of her longevity.

The woman was born in San Francisco in 1907, but returned to Spain when she was eight years old and settled in Catalonia.

Known to those who follow her on Platform X as “Super Buni Catalana”, she has been living in the region ever since and has been living in the same shelter, Residència Santa María del Tura, for the past 22 years, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. writes The Independent.

Now the world record holder has agreed to undergo scientific tests that researchers hope will allow them to better understand certain diseases associated with old age, such as neurodegenerative or cardiovascular diseases.

Despite her age, the woman has no health complications, apart from hearing and mobility problems, and still has an excellent memory.

“He has a completely clear mind,” researcher Manel Esteller told Spanish television.

Apparently, the woman remembers episodes with impressive clarity when she was only four years old, and does not detect cardiovascular diseases characteristic of elderly people.

Esteller, a renowned Spanish scientist who focuses on genetics and its application to health, recently met a 116-year-old woman and became interested in how aging might affect her genetic makeup.

The researcher believes that his longevity should be more than it seems at first glance.

The wonderful woman did not have an easy life; she has survived an earthquake in the United States, a massive fire, both world wars, the Spanish Civil War, the Spanish Flu Pandemic and most recently Covid-19 in 2020.

The woman lost her father when she was very young, when the family was traveling by ship from the United States to Spain; he died of pulmonary tuberculosis, according to the Guinness Book of Records.

In addition to losing her father, she suffered permanent hearing loss in one ear while on board the ship after falling while playing with her siblings.

Despite the various pandemics, wars and family losses she has survived, her longevity makes scientists wonder what her secret might be.

We know Mary’s chronological age, 116, but we need to determine her biological age,” said Esteller, who believes she is “much younger” physically.

The scientist took biological samples of her saliva, blood and urine, which are considered the most “long-lasting” biological samples and have great scientific value, said Josep Carreras, head of the leukemia research institute.

The samples will be compared with those of the average daughter of a 116-year-old woman who is 79 years old.

The woman is often asked what the secret to her long life is, and uses her X account to post advice to others.

She attributes her longevity to “order, silence, good relationships 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 attributes a significant role to genetic “luck.”

“There is clearly a genetic component as there are several members of her family who are over 90 years old,” the researchers said.

The rare biological samples will allow the woman’s genes to be evaluated and, it is hoped, will help research drugs that can help age-related diseases and cancer.

As for the oldest person in the world, she said on her X account that she is “very happy to be useful for research and progress.”