Add Clogged Arteries to the list of just some of the chronic
diseases found in Ancient mummies. The HORUS study just
published in the Lancet and presented at a meeting of the
American Academy of Cardiology theorizes that humans are
sensitive to the development of atherosclerotic plaque
regardless of diet and contemporary lifestyles. Although I find
this study fascinating, I do not see a basis for the comments
regarding diet. This study attempted to look at mummies from
four diverse ancient populations to see if diet and other
factors contributed to the development of calcium deposits in
blood vessels. 137 mummies – 76 ancient Egyptians, 51 Peruvians,
5 Ancestral Puebloans and 5 Unangan/Aleuts were specifically
scanned looking for calcium deposits in major blood vessels. 34%
of the mummies were found to contain calcium build up in
locations where plaque is typically seen. Table 2 (below) lists
the diet characterization and food examples among other
distinguishing features. The more advanced civilizations, incl