Doctors Investigate the DNA of a 117-Year-Old Woman: Can One Food Really Contribute to Longevity?

Stories about people who live beyond 100 years naturally capture our attention. When someone reaches 110, 115, or even 117 years old, many people immediately wonder: What is their secret? What did they eat? And is there one food that helped them live so long?

The image above makes a particularly strong claim, suggesting that doctors investigated the DNA of a 117-year-old woman and discovered one food that contributes to longevity.

It is an intriguing idea—but the science of longevity is much more complicated than identifying a single “magic” food.

A person’s ability to live to an exceptionally old age is influenced by genetics, lifestyle, environment, socioeconomic factors, medical care, physical activity, sleep, nutrition, and plain biological variation. Even among exceptionally old people, there is no single diet that explains everyone’s longevity.

Still, studying people who reach extreme ages can teach researchers fascinating things about healthy aging.