A little village perched on a mountainside in the Italian Alps could help researchers identify a gene which protects people from diabetes and high blood pressure.
Extensive tests have shown that the 402 inhabitants of Stoccareddo, near Asiago in the northeastern Veneto region, seem to have an immunity to these ailments. This fact, coupled with records showing centuries of marriages exclusively within the isolated community, has led a group of medical researchers to suspect the presence of a protective gene.
"It seems a likely explanation. These people seem to have the basic conditions for certain diseases but none of the consequences," said Anna Baschirotto, joint founder of the Baschirotto Foundation which is carrying out the research.
Two years of analyses have discovered that many residents have such high blood sugar levels that diabetes should theoretically be a widespread problem. But no one has it.
Likewise, many register abnormally high levels of triglycerides, fatty molecules which tend to go hand in hand with high blood pressure. But again, no one has this problem or any of its usual cardiovascular consequences. The hope is that by comparing DNA from Stoccareddo's people with that of other people who have certain diseases it will be possible to identify whatever is providing protection. If it is a gene, this could form the basis for a new pharmaceutical.
Baschirotto said at least two years' work are needed before any conclusions can be drawn. Among other things, researchers need to rule out other factors, such as lifestyle and the environment.
The air is clean in Stoccareddo and the simple rural lifestyle which only now is beginning to change has tended to favour relatively stress-free lives for its inhabitants. But the gene theory appears to be supported by Stoccareddo's history. Local historians say the villagers are practically all descendants of one man, apparently a Dane, who founded the community in the 12th century.
In fact, even today, 380 of the 402 inhabitants have the same surname, Bau.
In the past, the village was so isolated that marriages between family members were the norm. Early last century the local bishop gave Stoccareddo special permission to ignore the church's rules banning marriages between cousins. The local people have a distinctive look about them, which is a long way from the standard image of the Italian. They are tall, physically strong, and they all have blonde hair and blue eyes.
The villagers were unaware until recently that there was anything special about them, even though many have parents that live until the age of 90 or more. But they are happy to learn they may have something to offer the world. "Stoccareddo people have always been known for their strength and good health. If we can give some of that to others, it would be great," said Amerigo Bau, a 61-year-old resident.
