Heart Disease Was Rife Among Affluent Ancient Egyptians

X-rays of ancient Egyptian mummies hint that modern lifestyles may not be entirely to blame for heart disease. Photograph: Murdo Macleod

From The Guardian:

X-rays of mummies reveal atherosclerosis, suggesting there may be more to heart disease than bad diet and smoking.

Heart disease plagued human society long before fry-ups and cigarettes came along, researchers say. The upper classes of ancient Egypt were riddled with cardiovascular disease that dramatically raised their risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Doctors made the discovery after taking hospital X-ray scans of 20 Egyptian mummies that date back more than 3,500 years.

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