Mummies from different times, places shared key heart risk

CHICAGO, Mar 11:  CT scans of 137 mummies spanning four geographies and 4,000 years of history show that hardening of the arteries was commonplace, especially in older individuals, suggesting this key sign of heart disease may be a part of aging rather than the byproduct of eating too many Big Macs. The findings, presented yesterday at the American College of Cardiology meeting in San Francisco and published in the Lancet medical journal, challenge the commonly held belief that atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries – the disease that causes heart attacks and strokes – is a modern plague brought on by smoking, obesity and sedentary lifestyles. (agencies)