Why do some people Brazil step over the mark 110 years while the majority don’t even reach a hundred? A new study led by Dr. Maiana Zatz and her team from University of Sao Paulo.
Scientists call Brazil a real “treasure” to explore extreme longevity: the country has one of the most genetically diverse population in the world, and this resource has so far remained largely undervalued and underutilized in global research.
The most genetically “mixed” country
Story Brazil formed a unique genetic map: Portuguese colonization forced transportation of millions African slaves and then waves European And Japanese migrations created a mixture of origins rare in scale.
Previous genomic studies have identified millions of previously unknown genetic variants many of which are not available in international databases. According to researchers, there may be hidden among them biological defense mechanisms directly related to longevity.
Supercentenarians and rare database
The team has created one of the rarest databases in the world: more 160 centenarians and 20 confirmed supercentenarians (people over 110 years old).
Among them was a sister Ina who until her death in 2025 was considered the oldest person in the world: she was 116 years.
Separately, researchers are surprised that many of these people retained clarity of mind And functional independence although they lived most of their lives without full access to modern medicine.
Families who “argue” with biology
Of particular interest are families where several relatives are over the age of 100 years. In one example, a woman 110 years have three nieces 100, 104 And 106 years, and the eldest continued to participate in swimming competitions even after a hundred.
Scientists estimate that siblings and close relatives of people who live to be 100+ have up to 17 times more chances to achieve extreme aging.
“Young” immunity and resistance
Supercentenarians, judging by the data, have immune system which works on principles characteristic of much younger people. Cellular “cleaning” mechanisms remain active, and certain types of immune cells demonstrate enhanced efficiency.
The pandemic was a case in point COVID-19: Three Brazilian supercentenarians suffered an infection before the advent of vaccines and recovered with a strong immune response.
Why is this important to the whole world?
Today, three of the ten oldest confirmed men in the world are Brazilians. This is rare because extreme longevity It occurs much less frequently in men.
The authors believe that studying such populations could lead to more equitable and effective precision medicine which will take into account the real genetic picture of humanity, and not just “convenient” groups for research.
As he emphasizes Dr. Mayana Zatz supercentenarians are not just people who “reached out” to record-breaking years. These are living examples biological adaptation And sustainability A Brazil apparently, holds many keys to understanding how to improve the quality of life in old age.