14 DAY TRIAL // Ötzi the Iceman first made headlines decades ago. Thus, it was in 1991 that his 5,300-year-old remains were found in the Italian Alps by a group of hikers. As it turns out, this mummy is not yet ready to step out of the limelight.
Not to beat about the bush, recent news concerning Ötzi the Iceman says that, according to evidence obtained while studying his genome, this ancestor of ours was genetically predisposed to developing coronary heart disease.
Writing in the journal Global Heart, researchers argue that this genetic predisposition to ticker trouble might explain why, during previous investigations, the 5,300-year-old mummy was found to display signs of hardened arteries.
More so given the fact that, all things considered, Ötzi the Iceman probably did not use to smoke, drink, or spend countless hours watching TV and binging on fatty foods during his lifetime, specialists explain.
“What is similar between now and then is the human genetic material, our genome, including ancient polymorphisms that were uncovered to predispose the carrier to the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” the researchers write in their paper, as cited by EurekAlert.
By the looks of it, the genetic predisposition that made Ötzi the Iceman more vulnerable to coronary heart disease than his peers boiled down to just one mutation whose presence has also been documented in folks suffering from this condition in this day and age.
This find proves that, despite the fact that their lives were very much different to ours, our ancestors were also likely to develop health trouble most people assume to be merely plagues of the modern world. This means that environmental factors and lifestyles do not stand alone in influencing human health.
Commenting on the importance of this investigation and others of its kind, the specialists say, “Future genetic studies of ancient humans from various geographic origins and time periods have the potential to provide more insights into the presence and possible changes of genetic risk factors in our ancestors.”
Furthermore, “The study of ancient humans and a better understanding of the interaction between environmental and genetic influences on the development of heart diseases may lead to a more effective prevention and treatment of the most common cause of death in the modern world.”
Ötzi the Iceman is believed to have lost his life after being ambushed, shot with an arrow, and hit in the head. Thus, evidence indicates that he suffered a severe blow resulting in brain damage shortly before death. The arrow entered his body through the back, and it too caused a serious wound.