Frequent masturbation, obesity make Chinese unfit to join army: Report

The PLA run state daily has said at least 56 per cent of the youth applying in the army have found to be unfit.

Why are half the Chinese unfit to join the army? Obesity and a condition called varicocele when veins become enlarged in the scrotum are some of the reasons that have been cited.

The PLA run state daily has said at least 56 per cent of the youth applying in the army have found to be unfit. Frequent masturbation and a sedentary lifestyle led to such a condition although medical science does not draw a clear linkage between varicocele and masturbation. Excessive use of smart-phones and excessively high mineral content in drinking water are the other reasons given by the PLA run daily.

The report has generated a big online debate with many voicing concerns that the future may see a paucity of fit men for recruitment for the PLA, the world's biggest army particularly in the backdrop of a strict one-child norm for three decades which were slightly relaxed only in November 2013 when married couples in which just one parent is an only child can also have a second baby.

"China's recruitment process has strict rules and procedures... The quality of our recruits is guaranteed, and the headwaters of our military will flow long and strong," the defence ministry said in a statement.

"Recruitment is the foundation of national defense, and high-quality recruits are crucial to the military's combat capability," the statement also read.

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