[kublia khan]

Isn't it possible that those without the beneficial cholesterol are the result of a mutation? Perhaps this man is not a "hopeful monster" but a dinosaur that has outlived (figuratively speaking) his contemporaries.

[Ichneumon]

Isn't it possible that those without the beneficial cholesterol are the result of a mutation? Perhaps this man is not a "hopeful monster" but a dinosaur that has outlived (figuratively speaking) his contemporaries.

All six billion of us inferior mutants on the planet made it, and only a handful of the folks with the "good" genes are left and all stuck in a town in Italy, eh?

Sorry, your scenario is unworkable.

[orionblamblam]

> Isn't it possible that those without the beneficial cholesterol are the result of a mutation?

Possibly. More detailed examination of the DNA would show one way or the other. However, the fact that it's rare and can be traced argues to this being a new mutation.