Honestly, none of them really know a goddamned thing:
A new study of 137 mummified bodies, some as old as 3,500 years, found a high prevalence of hardening of the arteries, which often presages heart attack or stroke.
The condition was common in four groups — ancient Egyptians, pre-Columbian people in Peru and Utah, and 19th-century Alaska natives — with different diets and ways of life.
“It kind of casts doubt on — makes us pause and think about — whether we understand risk factors as well as we thought we did,” said Randall C. Thompson, a physician at the University of Missouri who headed a research team of 19 cardiologists, radiologists and anthropologists.
Purely speculating, but I can see how there might be more in common among the mummified remains than their geography and culture would suggest. It’s mainly elites who have elaborate funerals and mummification, isn’t it? Elites tend to have “better” diets. So they may have all been eating a high proportion of meats and processed sweet foods. (The latter take a lot of work, so rich people have more access to them.) And also getting less exercise.
A testable hypothesis, however not as straight forward as one might think. Associating ‘elite’ status with mummification is problematic. Egypt pretty much yes, Peru maybe depends on context, Utah and Alaska not. In the western hemisphere, a contributor to mummification is the ambient environment; Arid/dry in Peru and Utah, freaking cold in Alaska. Egyptian and Peruvian diets had a significant agricultural component. Utah indigenous folk engaged more gathering of indigenous plants and hunting. Nineteenth century Alaskans had diets heavily based on hunting, especially (depending on where in Alaska) hunting of fat-rich prey (think seals, whales) and a large component of anadromous fish (salmon). Bottom line, the four populations cross cut variables believed to contribute to hardening of the arteries in modern populations. About the only things the populations have in common are hardened arteries and incredibly well preserved human remains. Interesting results, but lots to do yet.
I’d expect hardening of the arteries in 100% of mummified remains, except for the ones in the horror movies.