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Di condition of our lungs fit reveal many tins about our wider health. Luckily, you fit also get dem into beta shape.
How old you tink say your lungs be? Wit evri breath, dem dey exposed to different pollutants, microbes, dust and allergens. Obviously, dis fit take a toll on dis delicate organs, and e fit speed up how dem dey age. But dem also fit affect how di rest of your bodi dey grow too.
For early May 2025, one international team of respiratory experts publish one of di first ever studies to assess how human lung function dey change as we dey age.
Based on data from about 30,000 men and women wey dem collect ova di course of di 20th Century, e show say our lung dey function best for our early to mid-20s.
Women lung capacity typically dey dey active wit few more years pass men own – bifor e begin decline.
Judith Garcia-Aymerich, wey be professor for di Barcelona Institute for Global Health wey lead di study, tok say factors like smoking, air pollution and flare-ups of conditions like asthma fit worsen dis decline.
Di beta your lung capacity dey for dis peak age, di more resilient you go get against chronic respiratory diseases plus oda lung-related health conditions later in life, Garcia-Aymerich tok.
But lung health also dey linked to a wide range of oda more surprising aspects of your health, wey dey affect your immune system, your weight and even your brain.
How to test how healthy your lungs be for house
So just how healthy your lungs be? And anytin dey wey pesin fit do to improve di state dem dey in?
Studies show say e get one expensive equipment wey dem fit use to measure lung health, but anoda simple way dey to test your lungs for house. All you need na large plastic bottle, one bucket or bathtub plus one long rubber tubing. And den do di following (you fit wan do am inside sink or outside as e fit get a bit messy).
- First, measure out 200ml (7fl oz) of water into one measuring jug, transfer am to di plastic bottle and use one pen to mark di water level.
- Add anoda 200ml of water, mark di new water level and repeat di process until di bottle full.
- Fill di bucket or bathtub wit water and dip di full bottle inside, turn di bottle upside down under di water.
- Keep di bottle for dis position, put di rubber tubing inside di bottle neck. E no need to fit tightly.
- Take a deep breath and blow into di tube.
- Count how many lines of water you fit blow out of di bottle.
- Multiply di number of lines by 200ml. (e.g three lines na 600ml). Dis number na your vital lung capacity, also referred to as forced vital capacity or FVC.
“Di test dey look di volume of air you fit breathe out, wey dem dey call vital [lung] capacity,” John Dickinson, wey lead di exercise respiratory clinic for di University of Kent, tok. “English surgeon John Hutchinson bin first use di term for di 1840s. E notice say dose wey fit breathe in small volumes of air get less time to live.”
According to di American Lung Association, FVC fit decrease by about 0.2 litres per decade, even in healthy pipo wey neva smoke bifor, sake of di effects of ageing. Research suggest say normal healthy FVC na between three and five litres.
How your lungs affect your wider health
Research show say as we dey age, we dey experience loss of elasticity for our lung tissue, weakening of respiratory muscles like di diaphragm and changes for di rib cage wey dey limit dia ability to expand and contract.
Dawn Bowdish, one professor for McMaster University for Canada, wey specialise in ageing and immunity, say one reason for dis na say di lungs dey closely linked to di heart and di circulation. E also get major connection wit di health of our wider immune system via wetin she call di “lung-immune axis”.
“Di lung get millions and millions of immune cells wey get important functions like clearing particulate air pollution, fighting infections, and repairing di damage wey come from di constant stretching of breathing in and out,” she tok.
According to Bowdish, if di lung immune cells no fit clear all di particles wey gada for di lungs, e fit trigger increasing levels of inflammation, wey fit lead to lung scarring, known as pulmonary fibrosis. Dis dey make di lungs stiffer and less able to function.
Inflammation for our lungs fit also lead to changes for di way our bodi dey react to respiratory infections as di immune response fit cause further harm.
Di benefits of healthy lungs
Di relationship between our lungs and wider health na two-way. Bowdish say if we keep our lungs relatively healthy, we dey more likely to remain disease free for longer in later life.
“Even though lung capacity dey decrease wit age, e no be cause for concern for those wey dey look afta dia lung health,” Dickinson add. “Healthy lungs get more dan enough capacity to supply di body with oxygen and remove carbon dioxide throughout di lifespan. However, if di rate of decline increase, our health and quality of life fit dey impacted.”
If you dey concerned about your lungs, Dickinson recommend going to your doctor for a proper lung function test, wey go involve breathing into a device called a spirometer wey dey measure di volume and speed of your breath.
Improving your lung function
Once you know di state of your lungs, evidence show say some preventative steps dey wey you fit take to improve your lung capacity and help mitigate age-related decline.
Regular exercising, for example, fit reduce airway inflammation and improve di strength and endurance of breathing muscles.
Reduce salt for your diet fit also dey beneficial as research suggest say excess dietary salt fit worsen lung inflammation and fibrosis. Food wey dey rich in fish oils, antioxidants and vitamins C and E, dey good and e fit protect di walls of di lungs from damage.
Bowdish recommend quitting both smoking and vaping to avoid ingesting any potentially inflammatory chemicals.
According to Daniel Craighead, one assistant professor for di University of Minnesota, e say anoda way of maintaining good lung function na to keep to a healthy weight and avoid acquiring excess body fat. “Abdominal fat fit block di ability of di lungs to fully fill wit air,” Craighead tok.
But anoda way dey, wey we fit actually improve lung function. Since di mid 1990s, inspiratory muscle training (IMT) or breathing in through one device wey dey provide resistance, dey known as a way of boosting respiratory muscle strength for groups ranging from athletes and singers to pipo wit existing breathing difficulties like asthma and COPD.
Research don show say IMT fit improve exercise capacity and lower blood pressure.
Anoda option na to sing or play wind instrument. Researchers for di Louis Armstrong Centre for New York City bin start dis approach through attempting to improve di lung function of pipo wit asthma by teaching dem to play various wind instruments. Oda scientists don even design one electronic version of a type of flute wey dem call di ocarina to assist in improving lung function.