I only heard about this in the last few days on a TV documentary....perhaps someof you have seen references earlier...It involves a small group of Italians who have passed a mutation down for several hundred years. Basically, there have been clinical trials which astounded researchers...perhaps there is real relief in the future.

"Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have discovered the mechanism by which an extremely rare protein mutation shields people from cardiovascular disease. The discovery could lead to more potent drug therapies that target both cholesterol deposition and prevent future accumulation. Results were reported in the February 12, 2002, issue of the journal Biochemistry.

more at this link

slightly more technical article here

some VERY technical articles available if you wish to delve into it. A search on "Italian gene cholesterol" or "ApoA-I Milano" will get you days of reading.

like this