Symptoms of Heart Disease Detected in Inuit Mummies

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS—According to a Discover Magazine report, symptoms of atherosclerosis, or hardening and narrowing of the arteries, have been detected in the mummified remains of four Inuit adults who lived in Greenland some 500 years ago. It has been previously suggested that a diet rich in marine foods and omega-3 fatty acids, such as that eaten by preindustrial-era Inuit peoples, would offer protection from arterial calcifications. Scientists led by Samuel Wann, a physician in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, used computerized tomography to examine the bodies of the two men, who are thought to have been between 18 and 22 and 25 and 30 at the time of death, and two women, who died sometime between the ages of 16 and 18 and 25 and 30. The individuals’ entire circulatory systems were not preserved, however, so the researchers were not able to determine the full extent of the damage to their arteries. The scientists also noted that heavy exposure to smoke from indoor fires may have outweighed the heart-health benefits of an active lifestyle and fatty-fish-based diet. To read about Inuit storytelling aids, go to "Mapping the Past: Wooden Inuit Maps."