Overview

• The peer-reviewed analysis in Cell Reports Medicine integrates whole-genome sequencing, epigenetic clocks, proteomics, metabolomics, immune profiling and gut microbiome data from samples collected late in life.
• Authors report rare protective variants, efficient lipid metabolism with very low atherogenic particles and triglycerides, and an absence of common risk alleles linked to cancer, Alzheimer’s and metabolic disease.
• Multiple DNA methylation clocks estimated a markedly younger biological age than her 117 years, alongside low composite inflammation markers and preserved immune competence.
• Her gut microbiome showed unusually youthful features with high levels of Bifidobacterium, and her routine intake of plain yogurt is cited as a plausible contributor, though causation is unproven.
• Despite very short telomeres, clonal hematopoiesis and age-associated B cells, she remained free of cancer, cardiovascular disease and dementia, and experts say the findings point to candidate biomarkers and potential drug targets for healthy ageing.