What factors affect lung capacity?
Your lungs are one of the most important organs in your body. They allow you to breathe and get a good amount of oxygen. They also help remove carbon dioxide from the blood. The oxygen will help the body to become healthy and vibrant. One of the things that will indicate how healthy your lungs are is lung capacity.
What is lung capacity? This is the maximum amount of oxygen that your lungs can accommodate. It is the amount of air you can breathe. When you are still young, the lung capacity is usually very large. However, there are certain factors that affect it. Let’s discuss some of them.
The first factor is age. Children’s bodies work better than adult bodies. This is because as you get older, your body ages too, and your organs are not as healthy as before. This is the same for your lungs. The older it gets, the less air it can hold. This is the reason why many older people are breathing rapidly and trying to catch their breath.
The second factor is the food. That’s how it is! The food you eat has an effect on lung capacity. For example, if you eat fruits rich in vitamin C and E, you can improve your lungs’ ability to hold air. Vitamin C and E are important vitamins and antioxidants that cleanse the organs of any harmful substances. Examples of these are citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables. Now you have more reasons to eat your vegetables. Foods that are high in fat, for example, are not good because they will increase your weight, which brings us to the next point.
The third factor is weight. According to studies, obese people have less lung capacity. This is because a lot of energy is used to distribute the nutrients in the body. You will need more oxygen to make sure your whole body gets the amount it needs. This is the reason why when you see obese people, you can easily notice that they are breathing fast especially after doing physical exercises.
The fourth factor is the medical condition. If you have some breathing problems, it could affect the overall capacity and work of your lungs. If you think your breathing is getting shorter and shorter, you should immediately see a doctor.
There are many ways on how you can improve your ability. However, the best known method is through the breathing exercise. You should always worry about how you breathe. You need to take in oxygen while you slowly fill your lungs. This will help the lungs expand more. Then you can slowly exhale so as not to jar your lungs. Improve your lung capacity and you will have more oxygen inhaled.