现代人的身体健康状况 为何比不上几十年前？ Why Is People's Physical Health Not As Good As It Was Several Decades Ago?

We have all noticed such a situation which we can't deny that the health of modern people can't be compared with that of decades ago. Let's take a look at the health status of modern people: Young people are suffering from hypertension, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. Many people in their fifties and sixties died or suffered from hemiplegia due to cancer, heart disease, cardiovascular and other diseases. Especially in rural areas, the elderly who can take care of themselves and go out for a stroll at the age of 80 or 90 are rare. These phenomena are in sharp contrast to those decades ago.

I take the 1970s and 1980s as an example. If someone in the village got cancer or was paralyzed, it was a very important event, enough to stir up the whole village. In winter, many old men in their eighties and nineties years old sat together to bask in the sun in the shelter of the village. In busy seasons, people in their seventies and eighties could also be seen working in the fields. Now, in my hometown's village, there are few old men who bask in the sun, and many old men died of illness in their fifties and sixties.

At that time, life was not rich and medical care was rudimentary, which could not be compared with today. But why is the health condition of modern people not comparable to that time? I think there are several reasons.

1.The living environment has changed.

When I was young, there was a small river in the east of the village. The river was clear, and I often went there to catch small fish and shrimp. When I was thirsty, I dug a small puddle on the beach near the river, splashed water with my hands, and fell down to drink the water filtered from the sand. In summer, when I was very thirsty playing outside, when returning home, I would ladle out the water in the water tank and drink it. I never had a bad stomach.

However, in the 1990s, the ecological environment was destroyed by vigorously developing township enterprises. A paper mill and a printing and dyeing factory had been built around the village. The stinky dirty water was discharged into the river, and there was no grass, let alone small fish and shrimp. What was more serious was that because of the sharp increase in industrial water use, people's wells had dried up, groundwater had also been polluted, and we dared not drink raw water any more. The smoke and dust discharged from the paper mill polluted crops and vegetables, and the gas discharged was harsh with a bad smell.

2.In order to make profits, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and additives harmful to human health are used in food, fruits and vegetables.
We all have a feeling that the meat, fruits, vegetables, etc. we eat now have no fragrant taste like before, and they are easy to break. Vegetables used to stay at home for a few days, but now they rotted overnight. I remember my mother once put an apple in the clothes cabinet. After a winter, the apple was not broken, and the room was full of strong fragrance. When the chicken was stewed at home people walking past could smell the fragrance from afar.

But now, in order to get rich quickly, livestock and poultry, vegetables, melons and fruits grow fast and look good, etc., people might use hormones, clenbuterol, pesticides, additives, etc. Just imagine, how can humans not get sick after eating these harmful things?

3.People have taken in too much nutrition and reduced the amount of human activities due to the development of mechanization.

The economic development has brought about the improvement of living standards. People have more food and nutrition, resulting in obesity and over-nutrition, and various diseases. At the same time, the development of science and technology has led to the widespread application of mechanization and the reduction of human labor. Excessive intake of nutrition without proper activities is bound to have a negative impact on health.

4.The pressure of life and work makes people become anxious, insomnia and nervous, which brings great harm to the body.

The pressure of life and competition in the workplace make people anxious and nervous, which will have a serious impact on their health in the long run, and will also make many people indulge in mobile phones, computers, television, and the Internet, which will aggravate the impact. In contrast, a few decades ago, although people were thin and malnourished, they had a promising, hopeful and energetic life. They ate well and slept well, so they were much better.

我们都注意到这样的一个状况，而且也无法否认，现代人的身体健康状况与几十年前根本无法相比。我们看一下现代人的身体健康状况：患高血压、高血糖、高血脂的人群逐渐年轻化；很多五六十岁的人，就因患上癌症、心脏病、心血管等疾病而死亡或偏瘫；特别是在农村，八九十岁还能自理、活动的老人已不多见。而这些现象与几十年前的情形形成鲜明对比。

我以自己亲身经历的上世纪七八十年代为例，那时候如果村子里有人得了癌症或者瘫痪了，那是一个特别重大的事情，足以轰动整个村子。冬天里，许多八九十岁的老人在村头避风向阳处围坐在一起晒太阳，农忙时节，也能见到七八十岁的老人在地里干农活。而现在，我老家的村子里已很少见到成群晒太阳的老人，许多老人五六十岁就因病去世了。

那个年代，生活并不富裕，医疗水平低下，根本无法与今日相比，可为何现代人的身体健康状况比不上那个年代呢？我想大概有以下几个方面的原因。

一、生存环境发生了变化。

我小时候，村子里的东面有一条小河，河水清澈，我也常去那里捉小鱼虾。渴了，就在河水边的沙滩上用手挖一小水洼，一边用手往外泼水，一边趴下去喝从沙子里过滤的水。夏日里，在外面玩耍，渴极了，回到家用瓢舀起水缸里的水就喝，也从未有过喝坏肚子的事情发生。

可到了上世纪九十年代，大力发展乡镇企业，生态环境就被破坏了。村子周边建起了造纸厂、印染厂，恶臭的脏水排到了河中，连草都不生，何况小鱼虾了。更为严重的是，因为工业用水剧增，致使老百姓家中的水井干涸，地下水也受到了污染，再也不敢喝生水了。造纸厂排出的烟尘污染了农作物、蔬菜，排出的气体刺耳且有一种臭味。

二、为了获利，在食品、瓜果和蔬菜等中使用对人体有害的化肥、农药、添加剂等。

我们都有一种感觉，现在吃的肉类、瓜果、蔬菜等都没有以前那种香香的味道了，而且还很容易坏掉。以前的蔬菜放在家里几天都不会坏掉，可现在的蔬菜过了一夜就烂掉了。我记得母亲曾将一个苹果放在装衣服的柜子里，过了一个冬天，那苹果还没有坏掉，满屋子散发着浓浓的香味。谁家炖的鸡肉，远远就能闻到香味。

可现在，为了快速致富，为了畜禽、蔬菜、瓜果等长得快而又好看等，不惜使用激素、瘦肉精、农药、添加剂等。试想一下，人类吃下这些有害的东西，又怎能不会生病？

三、摄入了过多的营养，且因机械化的发展又减少了人类的活动量。

经济的发展带来了生活水平的提高，人们有了更多的食物和营养，造成了人的肥胖和营养过剩，引起了各种各样的疾病。同时，科技的发展使得机械化的广泛应用，人类的劳动量大减。摄入了过多的营养而又缺乏应有的活动，势必会对身体健康造成不利影响。
四、生活和工作的压力使人变得焦虑、失眠、紧张，对身体带来了巨大危害。

生活上的压力和职场上的竞争使得人们变得焦虑不安、神情紧张，长此以往会对身体健康带来严重影响，也会使得很多人沉湎于手机、电脑、电视、网络之中，反而会加重了这种影响。反观几十年前，人们虽然面黄肌瘦、营养不良，但日子有奔头、有希望、有劲头，吃得香，睡得着，所以身体倍棒。

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