The presence of a gene mutation in the human body appears to lower levels of “bad” cholesterol and increase levels of “good” cholesterol, preventing this way heart disease, scientists have discovered.

They found that this gene mutation appears to speed up the breakdown of fats in the blood, which can cause furring of the arteries, a sign of heart disease. This discovery may open the door to new therapies for cardiovascular disease, the study in the journal Science noted.

The gene is called APOC3 and is relatively rare. People who have this gene break down triglycerides unusually quickly. They also appear to have low levels of LDL cholesterol, which at high levels increases risk of heart disease. They have high levels of HDL cholesterol, which is associated with a decreased risk of heart disease and they also seem to have arteries relatively clear of plaque.

For the study, Toni Pollin, Ph.D., an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in Baltimore and colleagues gave 809 members of the Old Order Amis community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a super-high-fat milk shake (78 percent of calories from fat) and then tracked them for the next six hours.

Then, the researchers took blood tests as well as ultrasound scans of their arteries examining how they reacted to the fat. Some of the participants were also tested for calcium deposits in their coronary arteries, a sign of heart disease.

The study found that about 5 percent of the volunteers had the gene mutation. Also, people who coped with the fatty drink better than others had this mutation. They had less artery calcification, indicating that they had healthier hearts as well as higher HDL and lower triglycerides and LDL. Higher levels of triglycerides can contribute to hardening and narrowing of the arteries, raising the risk of heart attack, heart disease and stroke.

Dr. Alan Shuldiner, one of the co-authors of the report, added that the Amish were “ideal” for genetic research because they are genetically homogenous and because they can trace their ancestry back 14 generations to a small group of people who emigrated to Pennsylvania from Europe in the Mid-1700s.

The researchers believe this gene mutation was introduced into the Lancaster Amish population by a person born in the mid-1700s, and the trait seems to be very rare or completely absent in the general population.

They also said that new drugs targeting this gene to decrease the amount of the protein it produces, apoC-III, might be useful against heart disease, which, at the moment, is the number one killer worldwide.

It appears that a high-fat diet is the biggest enemy of the heart. People tend to rely more and more on fast food meals because they lack time to cook at home. They also lack time or are too lazy to exercise regularly. If we add stress to this recipe, which is something more and more people complain nowadays, we obtain all the necessary “ingredients” for a stroke or heart attack.