Some individuals who carry a gene mutation can consume fatty foods without having their cholesterol jumping, researchers reported.

The journal Science presented the findings of a study on 809 people from the Old Order Amish of Lancaster County, Pa. Researchers searched for genes which have an impact on individual differences in the body's handling of triglycerides, a common form of fat in the blood. The volunteers were given milkshakes rich in heavy cream. Six hours later, researchers collected samples of their blood in order to find out the level of fat in their blood.

The concentrations of triglycerides of most participants in the study rose progressively up to four hours and then unsurprisingly dropped. Nevertheless, fat levels in about 5 percent of individuals started out low and barely budged.

Researchers, conducted by Toni I. Pollin and Alan R. Shuldiner of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, noticed that those 5 percent had a mutation that disabled one of their two copies of a gene called apoC-III. The gene codes for a protein, APOC3, which usually reduces the breakdown of fats. Those with apoC-III produced about 50 percent of the normal amount of apoC-III and had the most diminished levels of triglyceride, most probably for the reason that they were able to break down more of the fat in their bloodstream.

The findings are "a great starting point for possible drug development or public health measures,” according to Karol Watson, M.D., Ph.D., codirector of preventative cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.