Researchers Find Mummies Had Heart Disease

(AP)  You can't blame this one on McDonald's: Researchers have found signs of heart disease in 3,500-year-old mummies.

"We think of it as being caused by modern risk factors," such as fast food, smoking and a lack of exercise, but the findings show that these aren't the only reasons arteries clog, said Dr. Randall Thompson, a cardiologist at the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City.

He and several other researchers used CT scans, a type of X-ray, on 22 mummies kept in the Egyptian National Museum of Antiquities in Cairo. The subjects were from 1981 B.C. to 334 A.D. Half were thought to be over 45 when they died, and average lifespan was under 50 back then.

Sixteen mummies had heart and blood vessel tissue to analyze. Definite or probable hardening of the arteries was seen in nine.

"We were struck by the similar appearance of vascular calcification in the mummies and our present-day patients," said another researcher, Dr. Michael Miyamoto of the University of California at San Diego. "Perhaps the development of atherosclerosis is a part of being human."

One mummy had evidence of a possible heart attack but scientists don't know if it was fatal. Nor can they tell how much these people weighed - mummification dehydrates the body.

Of those whose identities could be determined, all were of high social status, and many served in the court of the Pharaoh or as priests or priestesses.

"Rich people ate meat, and they did salt meat, so maybe they had hypertension (high blood pressure), but that's speculation," Thompson said.

With modern diets, "we all sort of live in the Pharaoh's court," said another of the researchers, Dr. Samuel Wann of the Wisconsin Heart Hospital in Milwaukee.

The oldest mummy with heart disease signs was Lady Rai, a nursemaid to Queen Ahmose Nefertari who died around 1530 B.C. - 200 years before King Tutankhamun.

German imaging company Siemens AG, the National Bank of Egypt and the Mid-America Heart Institute paid for the work. Results are in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association and were reported Tuesday at an American Heart Association conference.

[jennifer-marie]

... said another researcher, Dr. Michael Miyamoto of the University of California at San Diego. "Perhaps the development of atherosclerosis is a part of being human."

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No sh**, Sherlock!

The human body wears out and breaks down as we age. Our modern medicine has given us the tools to allow our bodies to wear out and break down at a slower pace, or to even replace bad parts, but it still happens to each and every one of us. Hence, why we all die!

I'm sure that diet has a lot to do with keeping our bodies from wearing out sooner than later, but it is only ONE piece of a 5000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Human beings have been dying of Heart Disease and other "common diseases/ailments" since human beings were human beings.

We are never going to change that, no matter how advanced our medicine becomes or how regulated our lifestyles become.

[clancy49]

Are we forgetting that bacteria and germs were an unknown back then? As for heart issues, what makes us think the Egyptians didn't have stress back then? Nothing has changed. We keep blaming the wrong things instead of studying genetics and hormone imbalance. Something was wrong with the Egyptian lifestyle if they only lived to 50. However Ramses did live to be about 90. Germs, bacteria, genetics, and hormone imbalance are the killers of humanity. Our life lengths are returning to 50 and 60, where our pre generations lived to be 80 and 90 if not killed in wars. Don't let marketing of products and profits by pharmaceutical companies mar your thinking. Start approaching lifestyle and studies of genetics and hormones. Go back to study the nature of herbs and combine it with modern technology and nano technology. Then and only then will we advance. The age of Consumerism has to come to an end.

[WidowMakerHeartAttack]

I don't think humans have changed over the years. I can not imagine they had many health specialist back in the day. Not many of their foods had the fat or saturated fat levels listed on them.

I can not imagine the corner deli listing low fat salad dressings. I would bet there were a large number of coloseum potatos and overeating even then.

Some things never change. It took me flat lining 6 times to completely understand what a healthy life style really included.

[jennifer-marie]

Um, the majority of Egyptians barely had enough to eat what was required to keep their bodies alive. I HIGHLY doubt they were guilty of "overeating." The Egyptians were not the Greeks or Romans and in general did not live an indulgant lifestyle.

[joedefen]

Rich or poor, the Egyptians ate a diet of whole wheat, fruits, and vegetables, which is more or less the USDA recommended diet. Add in 150 pounds of sugar per year, and that is the typical American's diet. And we are the world fattest population.

Increasing heart disease and obesity is not from eating more bacon and eggs; in fact, we eat more sugared grains. It's "Can't Get Enough of Those Sugar Crisps" not "Can't get Enough Eggs". Good grief. Speculating meat consumption is the common driver of disease in ancient Egypt and America is without merit at the surface or thoroughly considered.

[ToolMangler1]

The one factor that separates them from us is the amount of 'work' they did. Even the Pharaoh had to get physical more than modern man does. He would go 'chariot riding,' horse back riding, sparring with his guards. (A leader that wasn't able to defend himself, didn't last very long, the people demanded a 'strong' leader). Modern people (In westernized countrys) are plagued with "Automobile butt", they will drive one or two blocks rather than walk it.

[rwsmith29456]

At least in the USA heart disease was our biggest killer before our diet went to heck and has been since. I'd say there's a chance it was the biggest killer among ancient people.