Ahmosa-Meryet-Amon, an Egyptian princess living in Thebes (Luxor) around 1550 BC, has become the earliest person in history to be diagnosed with coronary heart disease. The Horus research programme used whole body CT scanning to identify a furring of the arteries in half the mummies they examined. Dr Gregory Thomas, from the University of California, says, “We think of atherosclerosis as a disease of modern lifestyle, but it’s clear it existed 3,500 years ago.” In the case of Princess Ahmosa-Meryet-Amon, the arterial calcification was significantly advanced, despite only being in her early 40s. “Today, she would have needed bypass surgery,” says Dr Thomas. Although the ancient Egyptians followed a healthy lifestyle with moderate exercise and a diet of fruit and vegetables with little meat, the royal diet was likely to have included more butter, cheese and meat. A genetic predisposition, or parasitic infection, could also have increased her risk of heart disease.
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