[C6T2P2]Greying Population Stays in the Pink
Elderly people are growing healthier, happier and more independent, say American scientists.
老年人越来越健康、幸福和独立，美国科学家如是说。
The results of a 14-year study to be announced later this month reveal that the diseases associated with old age are afflicting fewer and fewer people and when they do strike, it is much later in life.
一项为期 14 年的研究在本月末发表的结论中说，受老年病影响的老年人越来越少，受影响的时间也越来越迟。
In the last 14 years, the National Long-term Health Care Survey has gathered data on the health and lifestyles of more than 20,000 men and women over 65.
在过去的 14 年中，国家长期健康调查局收集了超过 20 000 名年龄在 65 周岁以上的男性和女性的健康和生活方式方面的数据。
Researchers, now analysing the results of data gathered in 1994, say arthritis, high blood pressure and circulation problems — the major medical complaints in this age group are troubling a smaller proportion every year.
研究人员正在分析 1994 年收集到的数据，他们说，该年龄段人群经常患有的关节炎、高血压和血管病每年的发病率都在降低。
And the data confirms that the rate at which these diseases are declining continues to accelerate.
数据清晰表明，上述疾病发病率下降的速度也在加快。
Other diseases of old age - dementia , stroke , arteriosclerosis and emphysema - are also troubling fewer and fewer people.
其他的老年病，如痴呆症、中风、动脉硬化和肺气肿等的发病率也在降低。
'It really raises the question of what should he considered normal ageing,' says Kenneth Manton, a demographer from Duke University in North Carolina.
“这引发了一个严肃的问题，即多大年龄才应该被认为是正常的老龄。”北加州 Duke 大学人口学家 Kenneth Manton 如是说。
He says the problems doctors accepted as normal in a 65-year-old in 1982 are often not appearing until people are 70 or 75.
他说，1982 年的医生们认为正常情况下在65岁发作的疾病，现在要在70甚至75岁才发病。
Clearly, certain diseases are beating a retreat in the face of medical advances.
很明显，某些疾病在不断进步的医学面前正在溃退。
But there may be other contributing factors.
但是也许还有一些其他原因。
Improvements in childhood nutrition in the first quarter of the twentieth century, for example, gave today's elderly people a better start in life than their predecessors.
例如，20 世纪前25 年出生的儿童的营养的提高使得今天的老年人在起跑线上就赢过了他们的父辈。
On the downside, the data also reveals failures in public health that have caused surges in some illnesses.
从负面看来，这些数据也显示了公共卫生方面的一些失败之处，这些失败导致了一些疾病的激增。
An increase in some cancers and bronchitis may reflect changing smoking habits and poorer air quality, say the researchers.
某些癌症和支气管炎发病率的增加也许可以证明人们吸烟习惯的改变和空气质量的降低。
'These may be subtle influences,' says Manton, 'but our subjects have been exposed to worse and worse pollution for over 60 years.
“这些可能只是一些微妙的影响”，Manton 说，“但是我们的受调查者 60 多年来生存其中的空气质量越来越糟。
It's not surprising we see some effect.'
我们看到某些后果也不足为奇。”
One interesting correlation Manton uncovered is that better-educated people are likely to live longer.
Manton 提出的一个有趣的关联是，人们受教育水平越高，寿命就越长。
For example, 65-year-old women with fewer than eight years of schooling are expected, on average, to live to 82.
例如，受教育少于8 年的65 岁妇女的预期平均寿命为82岁。
Those who continued their education live an extra seven years.
受教育时间长于8年的妇女的平均寿命则高出7年。
Although some of this can be attributed to a higher income, Manton believes it is mainly because educated people seek more medical attention.
尽管这可能与较高的收入也有关系，但Manton 认为这主要是因为教育程度较高的人会在健康方面更加注意。
The survey also assessed how independent people over 65 were, and again found a striking trend.
调查也对 65 岁以上的老年人的独立程度进行了评估，并且再次发现了一个惊人的趋势。
Almost 80% of those in the 1994 survey could complete everyday activities ranging from eating and dressing unaided to complex tasks such as cooking and managing their finances.
在 1994年的调查对象中，大约有 80%的人可以独立完成日常活动，如自己吃饭穿衣，甚至煮饭和理财等复杂工作。
That represents a significant drop in the number of disabled old people in the population.
这意味着人口中没有自理能力的老年人的数量在快速下降。
If the trends apparent in the United States 14 years ago had continued, researchers calculate there would be an additional one million disabled elderly people in today's population.
如果美国 14 年前出现的明显趋势仍在延续，那么经研究人员计算，今天的人口中，没有自理能力的老年人的数量将多出 100 万。
According to Manton, slowing the trend has saved the United States government's Medicare system more than $200 billion, suggesting that the greying of America's population may prove less of a financial burden than expected.
Manton说，该趋势的减缓已经为美国政府的医疗系统节省下了至少 2 000 亿美金，这意味着美国人口老龄化造成的财务负担并不像想象中的严重。
The increasing self-reliance of many elderly people is probably linked to a massive increase in the use of simple home medical aids.
很多老年人自理能力的增强很可能与家中越来越多的使用简单医疗辅助设施有关。
For instance , the use of raised toilet seats has more than doubled since the start of the study, and the use of bath seats has grown by more than 50%.
例如，从研究开始至今，加高马桶座的使用量已经翻了一番，浴缸凳的使用也增加了五成。
These developments also bring some health benefits, according to a report from the MacArthur Foundation 's research group on successful ageing.
这些改变带来了健康方面的改善，MacArthur 基金会对健康老年人所作的一项研究得出了这样的结论。
The group found that those elderly people who were able to retain a sense of independence were more likely to stay healthy in old age.
该研究小组发现，那些能够保持独立感的老年人更有可能在晚年保持身体健康。
Maintaining a level of daily physical activity may help mental functioning, says Carl Cotman, a neuroscientist at the University of California at Irvine.
每天保持一定量的体育运动可以防止大脑老化，加州大学神经学家 Carl Cotman 如是说。
He found that rats that exercise on a treadmill have raised levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor coursing through their brains.
他发现，老鼠在滚笼里的运动提升了它们大脑中脑源性神经因子的水平。
Cotman believes this hormone , which keeps neurons functioning, may prevent the brains of active humans from deteriorating.
Cotman 认为，这种激素可以保持神经系统正常工作，从而防止大脑的老化。
As part of the same study, Teresa Seeman, a social epidemiologist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, found a connection between self-esteem and stress in people over 70.
作为上述研究的一部分，南加州大学社会流行病学家 Teresa Seeman 发现在 70 岁以上的人群中，自尊与压力之间也存在着关联。
In laboratory simulations of challenging activities such as driving, those who felt in control of their lives pumped out lower levels of stress hormones such as cortisol.
在实验性模拟挑战行为（如驾驶）中，感觉自己能够控制生活的研究对象的压力激素（如可的松）水平比较低。
Chronically high levels of these hormones have been linked to heart disease.
长期维持类似激素的高水平可以导致心脏病。
But independence can have drawbacks.
但是独立也有缺点。
Seeman found that elderly people who felt emotionally isolated maintained higher levels of stress hormones even when asleep.
Seeman 发现情感上比较孤独的老年人在睡眠中压力激素的水平也较高。
The research suggests that older people fare best when they feel independent but know they can get help when they need it.
研究指出，如果老年人感到自己是独立的，但同时知道需要帮助的时候会有人伸出援手，他们才会感觉最好。
'Like much research into ageing, these results support common sense,' says Seeman.
“与很多老龄化研究一样，这些结论只是证明了一些常识。”Seeman 如是说。
They also show that we may be underestimating the impact of these simple factors.
这些结论还表明，我们也许正在开始理解这些简单因素带来的影响。
'The sort of thing that your grandmother always told you turns out to be right on target,' she says.
“你祖母告诉你的那些事终究还是对的。”她说。
