People in Brazil are living past 110 and scientists are studying why

A Viewpoint in Genomic Psychiatry highlights a Brazilian cohort of more than 160 centenarians, including 20 validated supercentenarians, and reports that researchers have identified millions of previously undescribed genetic variants in Brazil that could inform studies of extreme longevity.

Researchers argue that Brazil is an important and underused setting for studying extreme human longevity. A Viewpoint in Genomic Psychiatry by Dr. Mayana Zatz and colleagues draws on a long-running national study of exceptionally long-lived people. The authors note Brazil's high level of admixture and genetic diversity and report many variants missing from global genomic databases. They link these features to scientific opportunities for understanding why some people live past 110. Key findings: - The research team’s cohort includes more than 160 centenarians, among them 20 validated supercentenarians drawn from diverse regions of Brazil. - Participants included Sister Inah, who was recognized as the world's oldest living person until her death on 30 April 2025 at age 116. - Early genomic research in over 1,000 Brazilians older than 60 identified about 2 million previously unknown genetic variants; a later study reported more than 8 million undescribed variants across Brazil, including over 36,000 potentially harmful ones. - Single-cell and other analyses reported preserved protein-recycling systems in immune cells of supercentenarians and an unusual expansion of cytotoxic CD4+ T cells that resemble CD8+ immune cells. - Three Brazilian supercentenarians survived SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020 before vaccines were available and showed strong IgG and neutralizing antibody responses in laboratory analyses. - The authors describe rare familial clusters of extreme longevity, including a 110-year-old woman whose nieces are aged 100, 104, and 106. Summary: The authors contend that Brazil’s genetic diversity and a rare, well-documented cohort of centenarians provide distinctive opportunities to study biological resilience and extreme longevity. Researchers are developing cellular models, multi-omics analyses, and deeper immune profiling of selected participants. The paper reports that the team is seeking broader collaboration and greater inclusion of ancestrally diverse and admixed populations in international longevity and genomics research.