“Your lungs… I said your lungs are shrinking.” I’ve actually said this more than a couple of times to my patients. You see, I mean the size of my patients’ lungs. Why? Because they shrink with age. And that’s not good.
It’s easier and more approachable and packed with new research – including new proof that your lung volume is your number one indicator of all-cause mortality.
That means the bigger your lungs, the longer you’ll live.
Part of what gives you the capacity to live robustly is getting enough oxygen. But your lungs are losing their capacity and vitality. In fact, they’re actually shrinking.
Sooner or later, you’ll begin to notice you get tired more quickly, you’re less virile, you get colds and the flu more often, and it takes longer to recover from illness.
It doesn’t have to be that way, though. You can stop this loss of vitality by taking a few simple steps to take care of your lungs.
When you were born, you took your first breath. With that breath, you cleared your lungs and started on your path in life. As you grew, your body built a complex network of blood vessels and alveoli to carry oxygen into your blood stream for delivery to your organs, muscles and cells.
But by the time you reached 20, things began to change. You stopped growing lung tissue and your lung capacity stabilized. This lasted for about 10 years. Then, around 30, your lungs started to decline. The alveoli that deliver oxygen to your blood began to die off.1
You lose almost 20 percent of your vital lung capacity between the ages of 30 and 40. And the decline continues until you reach old age. By 50, you’ve lost nearly 40 percent of your breathing capacity.
What does all of this mean to you? Think of it this way: If you get the flu at age 35 or 40, you can generally shrug it off. That’s because you have the extra lung capacity you need to sustain yourself—even if the flu or pneumonia takes some of your lung volume out of commission with fluid.
But if you’re 65 or 70 and you get a bout of flu or pneumonia, you won’t have the reserve lung capacity to sustain you. That’s why the death rate is so much higher for seniors who get these respiratory diseases. They simply don’t have the lung capacity to get them over the hump.
Even when you’re not fighting a respiratory infection, bigger lungs are able to supply your working body with more oxygen. They also restore cell health by removing cell-eroding carbon dioxide.
When there’s plenty of oxygen circulating around the body, your muscles can afford to use it to build reserve sources of energy for times of stress or exertion. But as your lung capacity decreases, your normal everyday activity takes up more of it, leaving you very little reserves.
And that’s not all. As your lung capacity diminishes, you’re more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke that permanently affects the rest of your life. Lack of oxygen reserves cause 50 percent of all heart attacks.
Fortunately, you can implement a simple exercise program that will improve your lung capacity and minimize the consequences of losing lung volume. If you focus on improving your lungs’ elasticity, increasing bone strength for posture and improving the function of your diaphragm, the rest will take care of itself.
The best way to do it is simple: High intensity, short-interval workouts that burn calories and fat.
Healthy lungs require more than just exercise though. A diet rich in protein and vitamins is also essential. Consider adding the following vitamins for the best results:
• Beta-carotene (25,000 international units) shields your lungs from air pollution and smoke, keeping the small air sacks in your lungs cleaner and healthier.
• Selenium (50-200 micrograms) helps keep your lungs elastic.
• Vitamin A (5,000 international units) turns into beta-carotene, which your body needs for lung function.
• Vitamin C (1,200 milligrams) helps people with asthma breathe easier and is a great antioxidant.
• Vitamin E (600 international units) fights aging and protects your lungs.2
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
alsearsmd@alsearsmd.com
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