Some people are interested not only in Mona Lisas esthetic value, however, and Professor Nakamura, specialist in preventive medicine, is one of them. He arrived at the shocking conclusion that Mona Lisa was likely to have arteriosclerosis. If we look at the portrait closely, we can notice that she is slightly overweight, or putting it bluntly, even swollen. The face is very pale with yellowish swellings next to the bridge of her nose. Such swellings are reliable signs of arteriosclerosis. Leonardo painted her very realistically, reflecting them in his painting.

?I wondered if the swelling were painted originally or if they were added later?, says Professor Nakamura. ?It is possible to find out using the x rays analysis. They were painted together with the portrait. I can say that Mona Lisa?s yellowish swellings next to her eyes are one of the symptoms of high cholesterol?.

If cholesterol adheres to the skin, you can see and sometimes touch the lumps. Cholesterol can also adhere to muscles, sinews, cornea (the transparent protective layer covering the eye), and artery walls where it causes arteriosclerosis. Cholesterol lumps in coronal arteries lead to heart attacks, and those in the brain may cause strokes.

On the other hand, there is a theory that Mona Lisa was pregnant at the time. ?Pregnancy always changes the hormonal balance, so the body accumulates cholesterol easier?, explains Professor Nakamura. Anyway, he is convinced that Jokonda had a short life.

Probably, at the time doctors did not pay attention to yellowish swellings, and even if they did, their origin or methods of treatment remained unknown.