Three Brazilian supercentenarians survived COVID-19 in 2020 before vaccines existed, showing remarkably strong antibody responses that suggest exceptional immune resilience even at ages 110+
Brazil hosts three of the world’s 10 oldest living men, and its genetically diverse population harbors over 8 million undescribed genomic variants, including rare protective genes invisible in more homogeneous populations
Supercentenarians deploy unusual “killer” CD4+ T cells virtually absent in younger people, while maintaining cellular cleanup systems (proteasomes and autophagy) comparable to much younger individuals
One Brazilian family includes a 109-year-old woman with three nieces aged 100, 104, and 106, reinforcing evidence that siblings of centenarians are 5-17 times more likely to reach extreme old age themselves
If there is a fountain of youth out there (or at least longevity), it’s probably somewhere in Brazil.
Three Brazilian supercentenarians survived COVID-19 in 2020 before vaccination was available. Sister Inah, a Brazilian nun who passed away in April 2025, had lived to age 116 and was recognized as the oldest person in the world. One Brazilian family boasts a 109-year-old matriarch with three nieces aged 100, 104, and 106. Scientists studying Brazil’s supercentenarians (people who reach 110 or older) continue to find patterns that provide highly valuable insight into aging and disease resistance.
Brazil ranks among the top countries for male supercentenarians, with three of the world’s 10 oldest validated men. The nation also surpasses larger, wealthier countries like the United States in female supercentenarians among the 15 longest-lived women globally. Many lived in underserved regions with limited healthcare access, offering researchers a window into biological resilience independent of modern medicine.
Most longevity research focuses on genetically homogeneous populations from European and East Asian groups. Brazil’s population developed differently. Portuguese colonization began in 1500, followed by approximately 4 million enslaved Africans between the 17th and 19th centuries, then waves of European immigrants and the largest Japanese diaspora outside Japan. A recent study identified more than 8 million undescribed genomic variants in Brazilians, with over 36,000 putatively deleterious (possibly harmful). This diversity means Brazilian supercentenarians may harbor protective variants invisible in other populations.
Brazil’s Supercentenarian Study Design
Published in Genomic Psychiatry, study authors at the University of São Paulo’s Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center assembled a nationwide cohort of over 100 centenarians, including 20 supercentenarians. Participants came from multiple Brazilian regions with varied social, cultural, and environmental backgrounds. The team collected clinical data and biological samples for whole-genome sequencing and derived cellular lineages for functional assays and multi-omics analyses (studies examining multiple biological systems simultaneously).
Three supercentenarians who survived COVID-19 in 2020 before vaccination was available showed strong antibody levels against SARS-CoV-2, along with plasma proteins and metabolites related to innate immune response. At the time of contact with researchers, some participants remained lucid and independent in daily activities like self-feeding.
The cohort includes exceptional familial cases. One 109-year-old woman’s nieces are 100, 104, and 106 years old. This familial clustering aligns with evidence that siblings of centenarians are 5 to 17 times more likely to reach centenarian status themselves.
Immune Systems Adapted for Longevity
As people age, their immune systems slow down and become less effective. But supercentenarians are different.
Their immune cells retain the same cleanup ability as those of people decades younger. Specifically, they’re excellent at breaking down damaged proteins, the cellular equivalent of taking out the trash before it piles up and causes problems.
Scientists looking at individual cells found something unusual. Supercentenarians have a special type of immune cell (called CD4+ T cells) that acts like an attack cell. Normally, CD4+ cells are more like coordinators that tell other cells what to do. But in people over 110, many of these coordinator cells have transformed into fighters that can directly kill infected or damaged cells. This fighting version of CD4+ cells barely exists in younger people.
Supercentenarians also have more natural killer cells, the body’s first responders that patrol for threats. This combination likely helps them fight off chronic infections that would wear down most people’s immune systems.
Scientists studied one person who lived to 112 (designated M116 in research papers) and found rare variations in genes that control the immune system. These variations affect how the body identifies threats and maintains healthy immune cells over time. People with these particular genetic variations tend to have fewer inflammatory and autoimmune problems as they age.
The Genetic Maintenance System
Beyond immune genes, the M116 genome revealed rare variations in genes that act like the body’s maintenance crew.
Some genes help with autophagy, essentially, our cells’ recycling program. When proteins get damaged or misfolded, autophagy breaks them down and reuses the parts. It’s like having an excellent recycling system instead of letting garbage pile up.
Other rare gene variants help mitochondria work efficiently. Mitochondria are your cells’ power plants, converting food into energy. Keeping these running well means cells don’t run out of fuel.
Additional variants affect how genes get turned on and off (gene regulation), and how cells repair damaged DNA. Together, these create a maintenance system that keeps cells running smoothly for much longer than average.
In older Brazilians, researchers found over 2,000 genetic elements, 5 million DNA letters, and 140 immune system variations that don’t appear in global genetic databases. These aren’t mistakes, they’re unique adaptations that may help explain why some Brazilians reach extreme old age.
The big picture? Supercentenarians don’t just live longer by luck. Their bodies resist the typical aging process. Instead of developing heart disease, cancer, or dementia at normal ages, they delay or avoid these conditions through a combination of protective genes and environmental factors. Understanding how their maintenance systems work could help researchers develop strategies to help more people age healthily.
Paper Notes
Limitations
Many claims of extreme longevity in Brazil still lack official documentation. International organizations such as LongeviQuest and the Gerontology Research Group validate cases through birth, baptism, marriage, offspring ages, and other civil records.
Funding and Disclosures
This work was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) through grant numbers 2013/08028-1, 2014/50931-3, and 2020/09702-1, and by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) through grant numbers 465355/2014-5 and 404134/2020-3. The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The funders were not involved in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, report writing, or submission decisions.