Elvis died young because of childhood problems?

I have just read this article about Elvis and the circumstances he was born in etc. They say because of his low birth weight and child poverty could have contributed to his heart problems.



It wasn't just Elvis's love of fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches which put him at risk of heart disease.
A UK researcher says low weight as a baby and child increased his risk of cardiovascular disease.

The King of Rock and Roll died on August 16, 1977 aged 42 after being found unconscious on a Memphis bathroom floor.

The cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia, a condition where the normal rhythm of the heart is disturbed.

At the time of his death, he was obese and was taking dozens of prescription drugs.

But in a paper for Australian and New Zealand heart specialists, Professor George Davey-Smith, an epidemiologist from Bristol University said Elvis's childhood problems could also have contributed to his heart problems.

Professor Davey-Smith told The Australian newspaper: "Elvis had a very low birthweight, being the survivor of twins, and was raised in abject and grinding poverty."

Poverty

"We also know that people who have a low birthweight and low childhood weight who become obese in later life are at substantially greater risk of cardiovascular disease."

Professor Davey-Smith also told the newspaper that poorer people were up to three times more susceptible to heart disease and stroke.

He said a UK study which looked at death and social status in thousands of people in a 70 year period had demonstrated the link between ill-health and inequality.

Andrew Tonkin of the Australian Heart Foundation told the newspaper: "I don't know if you could say Elvis was destined to die from a heart-related problem, but certainly the dice was loaded."

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1794458.stm

Interesting theory but its a complete myth.

Elvis' body was destroying itself due to massive amounts of prescriptions drugs and a unhealthy eating habit which resulted in his early death.

No other reason!!

i dont know i think it all contributed to his early death. I mean its been said that there are lots of people walking round today with far more drugs (prescription or otherwise) in there bodies than Elvis had. If he'd of had a stronger heart and maybe if he'd got the proper help he might of survived. I think maybe all these things combined together caused his death in the end sadly.

jason wrote:

i dont know i think it all contributed to his early death. I mean its been said that there are lots of people walking round today with far more drugs (prescription or otherwise) in there bodies than Elvis had.

But the people who made that statement dont really know about Elvis' pill and food intake.

Elvis had been using pills since 1960 and it was over those years that his daily dosage increased, especially around '72.
By the mid-70's his body was damaged beyond repair and began to just shut down by the pills and his food intake.

Didnt Elvis always have problems with his weight from a young age?

I heard thoroghout his career not just through the later years his weight was a problem and would always be up and down all the time? and always took tablets to control his weight from the early 60s??

Someone also said he could drop weight almost over night as proof being the Aloha Concert with the Live show his jumpsuit looked like it was alot slacker than it did in the rehersal show.

But i guess you guys would know more about this?

I have heard that befor he died, he lost a lot of weight too, sins he was preparing for the new tour?

Thorughout the 60's, it was evident from the films he was making (often 3 a year) that his weight was going up and down abit.

Take 1961, around March Elvis began filming Blue Hawaii and there was talk of how thin Elvis looked but a few months later in July his physique was totally different for Follow That Dream where he had put quite abit of weight on in such a short time.

This happened a few times in the 60's where he would go on these binges then on a crash diet.

He did the same for the '68 Special and he lost over 20lbs in weight for the Aloha.

For a new tour he always tried to lose weight and get 'dried out'.

I too do not believe this myth about low birth weight and low weight as a child...
I was under weight at birth... and thru most of my childhood up to my teens and
in fact I was anorexic up to I was 15 years old and very low in weight and I
survived... and did not develop heart problems at the time and back in them
days Doctors did not know much of how to treat kids medically....

Hugs Charmaine

i think when your weight is up and down like that all the time it must put allot of strain on the heart and this together with the pills caused the heart problem over the years. especially with uppers and downers , heart racing like mad 1 minute and slowing right down the next. I guess this should be a lesson to everybody that a dependency on drugs catches up with you in the end in one way or another. Yet look at some of the stars today and they have learnt nothing even with these tragic stories.

jason wrote:

i think when your weight is up and down like that all the time it must put allot of strain on the heart and this together with the pills caused the heart problem over the years. especially with uppers and downers , heart racing like mad 1 minute and slowing right down the next. I guess this should be a lesson to everybody that a dependency on drugs catches up with you in the end in one way or another. Yet look at some of the stars today and they have learnt nothing even with these tragic stories.

So true.

elvis died young because of fame. imagine being elvis and what he had to put up with, i know eta's who have told me, they find it hard to cope being who they are cause they do such a good tribute and are at the top of there game, that even they find it hard to cope.

Mind you i think if i had the choice of putting up with fame or putting up with the crap of working for tescos everyday guess which one i'd go for. I'd swap places with these guys any day. ha ha sex drugs and rock n roll baby!! all right i suppose I'll just settle for the rock and roll.

i reckon elvis would have picked tesco's lol if he had the choice, and knowing how hard it is to cope with fame, no privacy when your famous his life was invaded and he had no way out.