Italians lead one of the healthiest lifestyles in Europe, according to a major international study.
The report, which collates three years of observations and comparisons by scientists from a variety of countries, held Italy up as a model in terms of alcohol consumption, smoking and diet.
Explaining the results of the study, one of the Italian researchers said Italy had performed particularly well owing to radical lifestyle changes in recent decades.
"Italy has taken giant steps forward over the last 20 years," said Carla La Vecchia, head of the epidemiology laboratory at the Milan Institute of Pharmacological Research.
"Italians have halved their alcohol consumption, partly because they now only drink once a day instead of twice, owing to changes in eating and meal habits.
"Two decades ago, Italians and French had one of the worst records for cirrhosis of the liver but there has been a massive reduction over the years".
The study found that Italy has one of the best records in Europe in regards to alcohol-related deaths, accounting for just 37 out of 100,000 deaths.
France has double this figure, at 76 out of 100,000, while the Russian rate is ten times that of Italy, at 381.
The study also noted that just 12 out of 100,000 Italians develop cirrhosis of the liver, compared to 24 Germans and 96 Hungarians.
According to La Vecchia, the vast majority of such cases are caused by alcohol abuse or by the quality of the alcohol, for example drinking out-of-date liquor or moonshine.
Turning to smoking, the researcher highlighted the "excellent results" of a 2005 Italian law banning smoking in public places.
"Today, the main problem we face is of people in their fifties and sixties, who started smoking copious amounts in the 1970s and have not yet stopped," she said.
"People in their twenties today smoke far less than this older generation used to at the same age, and by the time they reach their fifties, they will have stopped altogether. We are on the road to wiping out all smoking".
The most recent figures suggest that 33.6% of Italian men and 27.8% of Italian women smoke. The survey found that Swiss men smoked the least, at 16.5%, while Russians smoked the most, at 66.2%.
The percentage of smokers was to some extent reflected in the number of deaths from lung cancer.
Around 31 deaths of every 100,000 in Italy are caused by lung cancer brought on by smoking. This compares to 42 in France, 49 in Belgium, 55 in Russia and 82 in Hungary, which has the worst rate.
In Switzerland, which has run vigorous anti-smoking campaigns for some years, lung cancer accounts for just 13 deaths in every 100,000.
Finally, the report highlighted the general levels of health enjoyed by Italians, in terms of a low body mass index (BMI), a fairly active lifestyle and a nutritional and balanced diet.
La Vecchia stressed the important role played by the Italian healthcare in maintaining these standards.
"The Italian health service may be criticized by everyone but it really is an example, a global model," she concluded.
"Individual incidents come under fire but the most important treatments are available for everyone, and are basically provided for free".
