The study also points out that Branyas ate a lot of yogurt. As in, three times a day, which Dr. Esteller points out, “maybe was too many.” But who are we to say? Either way, the researchers credit Branyas’s yogurt habit with cultivating a top-tier gut microbiome. “This is very relevant, because yogurt contains bacteria that create a defense against inflammation,” Dr. Esteller says. “People that have chronic inflammation, they look older, and they age very fast.”
2. Exercise daily—and don’t skimp on strength training
When it comes to longevity, “it is generally thought that daily exercise is better than exercising just one or two days a week—and this is something [Branyas] did for years,” Dr. Esteller says. Thankfully, this doesn’t mean you have to do seven HIIT workouts a week. Rather, Branyas’s daily exercise consisted simply of a brisk walk done at a pace just shy of a jog.
In addition to her daily walks, Branyas also did strength training two to three times a week. “This increased the strength of her bones and muscles—something that we typically lose as we age,” Dr. Esteller says, noting that consistency was an important factor as well. “She was very active in her life, right until the end.”
Dr. Esteller considers this consistent fitness regimen to be a major factor in Branyas’s impressive longevity, pointing out that a sedentary lifestyle can accelerate aging. “Maybe you’re 40, but your cells look like they’re 55 or 60,” he says. “In Maria’s case, her cells were 23 years younger. And [her active lifestyle] is probably part of the reason she was alive. Because, despite being 117, her cells looked like they were 94 or 95 years old.”
3. Build community
Researchers agree that community plays an important role in overall longevity and, according to Dr. Esteller, there is a biological basis for this theory. “When you interact with your family and your friends, and you have a good relationship with all these people, what is created in you is like an extra shot of hormones and neurotransmission,” he says. “It’s similar to how, when we are satisfied, our brain releases dopamine; and when we’re happy, we release endorphins. There are a lot of hormones and molecules that work in our brain and release upon social interaction.”
