What is wrong with Italians? They smoke more than Russians, earn less than Americans, their country's economy has long been stuck in a crisis, their government spends little on health care, but Italians still live long enough.
The average life expectancy in Italy is very, very high. Moreover, diseases and ailments overcome them closer to old age, and not from a young age.
Perhaps this paradox can be partially explained if you take a short excursion into history. So, in the 1960s in Italy there was a significant improvement in living conditions. Every year, fewer and fewer poor people remained in the country. King's College Professor Alan Maryon-Davis believes Italian society is not very fragmented. “This is an indisputable truth,” he says. "The greater the similarities between the haves and have-nots, the lower the likelihood of poor health."
Mediterranean diet
The professor also believes that, for example, the British quite often simply ignore the disease. “I would like to know how people manage to forget about their diseases for several decades. It feels like they are waiting for the doctors to solve their problems themselves,” the doctor laments. In the 1970s, Italy established the National Health Service. A stable economy allowed the state to invest in the development of this sphere: for several decades, the volume of investments in Italian health care remained high.
Surprisingly, there are quite a few smokers among Italians. Until 2003, people smoked in Italy everywhere and everywhere, but the law banning smoking in public places radically changed the situation, and the fines imposed strongly discouraged the desire to enjoy a cigarette in a public place. But even today the number of tobacco lovers in Italy is impressive: 10.6 million according to 2013 data.
Experts believe that the Mediterranean diet can also be one of the keys to long life. Stefania Salmaso, head of the National Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology, says: “Since the 1960s, the typical Italians diet has improved, more seafood has been added, and a variety of dishes have appeared. We always have fresh vegetables on hand, we consume a lot of olive oil , few animal fats, which are so abundant in the cuisines of other countries.
Italians traditionally drink a glass of wine at lunch and dinner, but rarely abuse alcohol. However, Dr. Salmozo said that in recent years this trend has been changing for the worse. Several studies, the object of which was the Mediterranean diet, found that it helps to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Those who regularly consume a lot of olive oil and nuts are more likely to prove more persistent in the face of the disease.
How do Italians relate to their health? Do they understand that they are one of the most long-lived nations in the world? Not really. “People just don’t realize how lucky they are. All that people think about today is the difficult economic situation in the country,” Salmazo suggested.
Can we say unequivocally why the life expectancy of Italians is much higher than that in other countries? Is their secret to a long life in a special diet, health system, climate? Dr. Edmund Jessop admitted: “Honestly, no one knows. Life expectancy depends on many factors, of which the most important cannot be distinguished. "
