A simple experiment with a bottle can reveal the age and health of the lungs. Experts explain how to interpret the results and what strategies to adopt to slow down respiratory aging.
Find out how old are the lungs with an surprisingly simple test. Do not need expensive medical equipment: they are enough a plastic bottle, a bucket of water and a rubber tube. It is necessary to fill a meassel with about 200 milliliters of water, pour them into a transparent plastic bottle and trace with a pen the level reached by the liquid: then add another 200 milliliters and mark the line again. It continues like this, layer after layer, until the bottle is completely filled: we will have created A sort of rowing row that we will need for the test. At this point you take a bucket, fill with water and immerse the bottle, turning it upside down with the neck facing down. Always keeping the bottle under water, it is necessary Enter a rubber tube inside the neck: It must not be hermetic, as long as it remains in place. Now comes the time for the real test. It is deeply inspired and blows itself decisive in the tube. The air that we will expel will be enough to let out a part of the water contained in the bottle. All that remains is to count how many of the notes previously traced we managed to get off. Each sign corresponds to 200 milliliters: by multiplying the number of “freed” lines by 200 ml we will get the maximum volume of air that the lungs manage to expel in one breath. This value takes the name of Pulmonary vital capacity, or more precisely forced vital capacity (FVC). John Dickinson, director of the respiratory clinic ofUniversity of Kent, It reminds the BBC that this artisan method does not have the precision of a spirometer, but allows you to have a general idea of the state of the lungs. The concept of “vital capacity” dates back to 1840, when the British surgeon John Hutchinson sensed that those who breathed reduced volumes had inferior life expectations. Today we know that in a healthy person The FVC varies between three and five liters And it tends to drop physiologically with age, even in those who have never smoked. According to the American Lung Association, the average loss is about 0.2 liters every ten years.
But why do the lungs age? An international study Published in May 2025 it reconstructed the trend of respiratory function within life by analyzing the data of about 30,000 men and women collected during the twentieth century. The peak can be reached between 20 and 25 years old, a few years earlier in women, and then gradually decline. According to researchers this is a biologically programmed process, but factors like Smoking, pollution and chronic respiratory diseases can accelerate the decline and anticipate the symptoms of trouble. The breath, however, does not only concern the lungs. A reduced respiratory capacity is associated with a long list of conditions ranging from Obstructive chronic bronchopneumopathy (COPD) to hypertension, from diabetes to cognitive decline. The lungs, in fact, are closely linked to the heart, circulation and the immune system: in the lung tissue there are millions of immune cells that eliminate polluting particles and pathogens. When this mechanism does not work, increases chronic inflammation which can spread to the whole body, also weakening other organs. Furthermore, according to the United States National Institute on Aging, respiratory capacity is a reliable precaution of longevity: the more oxygen the body manages to use, the longer remains young and resistant. It is no coincidence that the elderly who maintain a good respiratory function are less likely to develop chronic pathologies and retain memory and autonomy longer. At this point it is urgent to run for cover and learn the skills that can help us keep the lungs healthy. Needless to say, the first recommendation is to carry on a balanced lifestyle, with regular physical activity that can help strengthen the respiratory muscles and reduce the inflammation of the airways. A Diet rich in omega-3, Vitamins C and E and antioxidants helps to protect lung tissues from oxidative stress, while limiting the consumption of salt contributes to containing inflammation. Obviously, the choice of not smoking and avoiding vaping decisivewhich however exposes irritating substances. And then there is the question of weight: another decisive factor, because the accumulation of abdominal fat hinders the expansion of the lungs and reduces the respiratory capacity by preventing them from working best. Ultimately we can say that Protecting the lungs today, with a healthy life, means building your health of tomorrow. And if the bottle test has left us … literally breathless, perhaps it is appropriate to run for cover: the future is in our hands (and in our lungs).
