Mummies Had Heart Disease, Too
Mummies Had Heart Disease, Too
Nov. 17, 2009 (Orlando, Fla.) -- For years, doctors have blamed fast food, lack of exercise, smoking, and other detrimental lifestyle factors of modern life for our predisposition to heart disease.
But now, hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, has been detected in 3,500-year-old mummies, challenging that view.
"What our new findings tells us," says researcher Gregory Thomas, MD, "is that atherosclerosis has been around since before the times of Moses."
"Atherosclerosis is not just a disease of modern times," says Thomas, a cardiologist at the University of California at Irvine. "It's part of the human condition. We have to look beyond modern risk factors to fully understand heart disease."
The research was presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009 and simultaneously published online in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
See 15 Tips for Avoiding Heart Disease
But now, hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, has been detected in 3,500-year-old mummies, challenging that view.
"What our new findings tells us," says researcher Gregory Thomas, MD, "is that atherosclerosis has been around since before the times of Moses."
"Atherosclerosis is not just a disease of modern times," says Thomas, a cardiologist at the University of California at Irvine. "It's part of the human condition. We have to look beyond modern risk factors to fully understand heart disease."
The research was presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009 and simultaneously published online in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
See 15 Tips for Avoiding Heart Disease
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