What 44,000 Swedes Taught Us About Living to 100 (Hint: It's Not What Your Doctor Says)

In The News

A Tiny Implant Just Helped Paralyzed Rats Walk Again—is Human Recovery Next?

Cleaner Fish: Tiny Healers or Hidden Spreaders in Coral Reef Ecosystems?

The Molecule That Might Save Your Sight—and Your Heart

The 35-Year Study That’s Making Cardiologists Squirm

For decades, the medical establishment has operated under a seemingly straightforward premise: lower cholesterol equals longer life. This belief has made statins among the most prescribed medications in the world, with millions of people taking them daily to reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes. The logic appears bulletproof — countless studies show that statins reduce cardiovascular events, and cardiovascular disease is a leading killer. Case closed, right?

Not quite. Enter the AMORIS cohort study from Sweden, a research project that followed 44,000 people for 35 years and discovered something that should make us pause and reconsider everything we think we know about cholesterol and longevity.

The AMORIS Revelation

The AMORIS study wasn’t designed to challenge cholesterol dogma — it was simply tracking health outcomes in a large Swedish population over several decades. But when researchers looked at the 1,224 people who actually made it to their 100th birthday, they found something unexpected: these centenarians had higher total cholesterol levels than those who died earlier. Specifically, having total cholesterol over 200 was associated with reaching 100, while having LDL cholesterol under 135 was linked to reduced life expectancy.

This finding is particularly striking because of the study’s methodology. Unlike the typical cardiovascular trials that follow people for 5-10 years and focus on heart attacks and strokes, AMORIS tracked actual longevity over 35 years. It’s the difference between asking “what prevents cardiovascular events in your 60s and 70s?” versus “what helps you live to 100?

The Sick Population Problem

Here’s where things get interesting. Most statin research has been conducted on people who already have cardiovascular disease or multiple risk factors — populations with compromised metabolic health. These are individuals whose bodies may no longer efficiently regulate cholesterol, where inflammation is driving pathological accumulation, and where pharmaceutical intervention might genuinely help.

But what about the person who exercises regularly, eats nutrient-dense foods, gets adequate sleep, manages stress and maintains healthy hormone levels? For this individual, cholesterol serves essential functions: it’s the building block for testosterone, estrogen, cortisol, and other critical hormones. It maintains cell membrane integrity and supports brain function. Aggressively suppressing cholesterol production in a metabolically healthy person might be removing beneficial raw materials their body actually needs.

This mirrors what we’re seeing with other interventions. Take GLP-1 peptides like Ozempic and Wegovy. As Dr. Tyna Moore observes, these medications work dramatically well for some people and poorly for others. The difference often comes down to the foundation — peptides seem to work best in people who are also doing “the work” of eating well, moving regularly, lifting weights, and optimizing their hormones. For someone living on processed foods and remaining sedentary, even powerful peptides can only do so much.

The New Framework

Perhaps we need to flip our thinking. Instead of applying interventions designed for sick populations to healthy ones, maybe we should be asking what supports the body’s natural regulatory systems when they’re functioning well. The AMORIS centenarians suggest that robust cholesterol levels might be a marker of healthy metabolic function rather than a problem to be suppressed.

This doesn’t mean statins are universally harmful, but it does suggest we might be over-applying them. For the metabolically healthy individual focused on longevity, supporting the body’s natural cholesterol synthesis and utilization — through lifestyle practices that optimize overall metabolic health — might be more aligned with reaching 100 than pharmaceutical suppression.

The centenarians in Sweden lived through decades with higher cholesterol levels and thrived. Maybe it’s time we listened to what they’re teaching us about the difference between preventing disease and optimizing for exceptional longevity.

In Next Week’s Issue:

Your sleep hygiene is perfect. You’re still tired. Here’s why.

If you like Verve Life 12/50, tell a friend.