Garda, a picturesque village located on the shores of the lake and at the foot of the Italian Alps, is an unusual destination with almost 1000 inhabitants. A surprising place with an extremely mild climate, filled with lemon terraces, as well as strong genetics, makes the residents of Garda feel lucky.
This mix of factors is what the village claims to possess a secret "elixir" that bestows a healthy and long life. Many natives are blessed with excellent digestive abilities that allow them to eat as much as they want without worrying about weight gain or health problems. These residents have what they call the "lemon gene", which contains a special protein that destroys excess fat.
For 40 years, all natives have been under scientific observation. Among them, a local resident, Gianni Segala tells how doctors often asked him to eat many sweets, to then monitor his blood.
"The gene is very strong in my family. My brothers and I, my mother – who is 96 – and all my children inherit it. Since the 1980s, we have donated blood for repeated tests. The doctors told me to eat so many sweets that I wanted to vomit, but then they noticed that my blood destroyed the fats immediately."
"Eat as much as you want without getting fat"
The gene was first identified in the blood of a driver, an ancestor of the Segala family, who had suffered an accident in Milan and was immediately taken to hospital. The doctors who cared for him were amazed by the amazing results of the blood tests and started a massive screening campaign in the village.
"I have a gene that gives me a kind of security in life. I feel more protected health-wise and confident that I won't have blocked arteries or die of a heart attack when I'm old.”
Residents say they can eat as much fatty meats, hams, sausages, pasta or sweets as they want, without worrying about their health. According to them, even though they can eat a lot and sometimes even uncontrollably, they do not feel stomach pain or other discomforts.
In 2000, a team of scientists synthesized the so-called "Limone" protein and injected it into rabbits. In the animals, a significant decrease in blood clotting was seen in their arteries. According to doctors, "Limone" is a dominant gene, found in the DNA of five-year-olds, young people and the elderly of the village of Garda.