The #1 Predictor of Longevity … This will surprise you

When people think about the secrets to living a long and healthy life, they usually picture things like diet, exercise, or minimizing/avoiding stress. While those factors are important, one long term study has suggested that something else is a bigger predictor of longevity, and this really surprised me.

The famous Framingham Heart Study which started in 1948 and has followed generations of people found that that the single best predictor of longevity wasn’t smoking, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, weight, or exercise habits, it was actually lung capacity, and in particular, your Force Vital Capacity (how much air you can forcibly exhales after a maximum inhalation).

That’s right: the size and strength of your lungs was more closely linked to how long people lived than almost anything else. Amazing hey!
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Continue reading to see why this is important and read to the end to see a simple breathing exercise you can try.

Why Lung Capacity Matters

Arguably the most important part of the body is the brain (Afterall it controls and coordinates everything in your body). To function well, your brain needs two things:

Fuel (Oxygen & Glucose)

• Oxygen, from proper breathing patterns and behaviors
• Glucose, the brain needs proper nutrients.

Activation

• The brain needs stimulation through movement of the body (this is why movement is so important).

Your lungs are responsible for delivering oxygen to every cell in your body. Oxygen is literally fuel for life. A greater lung capacity means your body can:
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• Deliver more oxygen to the brain, muscles and organs.
• Remove waste gases like carbon dioxide more efficiently.
• Handle physical and emotional stress more effectively.

Over time, lung function can naturally decline. But if we let it decline faster, through inactivity, shallow or poor breathing, or poor posture, we’re robbing ourselves of one of the most important foundations of long-term health.

The Problem with shallow Breathing

Most of us don’t use our lungs to their full potential. Instead of deep, diaphragmatic breaths, many people rely on short, shallow breaths from the chest and shoulders.

Shallow breathing can:

• Increase stress and anxiety by keeping your body in “fight-or-flight” mode.
• Limit oxygen delivery.
• Lead to neck stiffness and tightness.
• Reduce rib cage and spinal movement, contributing to stiffness, potentially pain and poor posture (and decreased activation of the brain).

​In other words, the way you breathe every day directly affects how you feel, move, and function.

A Simple Breathing Exercise to Try

Improving lung capacity doesn’t require fancy equipment. With just a few minutes a day, you can begin to retrain your breathing and give your lungs the workout they deserve.

Here’s a simple exercise you can practice:

Diaphragmatic Breathing Drill (you can see a video of this on my Instagram page here)

1. Sit comfortably with your hands on your sides just above your pelvis. (you can also place them on the lower rib cage).
2. Inhale slowly through your nose, aim to feel your hands be pushed out to the sides. Your stomach will naturally pop out too, but it is more important to make sure it is expanding in all directions, not just the front. This is why we place our hands on our sides.
3. Alternatively, you can have a person place their hands on your lower rib cage at the back and see if the lower rib cage expands when you inhale. Also check to see if it expands evenly on each side.
4. Exhale gently through your nose again.
5. Aim for a tempo of a 4 second inhale followed by a 6 second exhale. This is important to help get out of the ‘fight or flight’ stress mode.
6. Repeat for 5–10 breaths, once or twice a day.

Over time, this trains your diaphragm (your main breathing muscle) to do the work instead of your shoulders and chest. It also helps expand your lung capacity and calm your nervous system.

There are lots of other useful breathing techniques, but this is a simple place to start. Feel free to check out and try other techniques too. 

Chiropractic care and breathing

If you tried the test above and are struggling to get good rib cage movement, you may need to work on this.

Mobility exercises can help (see the blog post link below for examples), along with other Yoga exercises like the cat/cow, but chiropractic care could also help.

The thoracic spine is an area that I focus on when I see people in practice. Restoring motion to the thoracic spine and ribs through appropriate chiropractic adjustments, can really help you get bigger and better breaths.

A study published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science, showed that thoracic spine manipulation improved Forced Vital Capacity (the main thing the Framingham Study mentioned) and Force Expiratory Volume in the test subjects compared to the control group. Now this was a small study, but it does show that adjusting or manipulating the thoracic spine could help your breathing. 

If you need help with your breathing, chiropractic care may be an option for you. Feel free to contact us to find out more, or you can simply book an appointment online here.

Related: 5 ways to help 'free up' your mid back

Final Takeaway

Improving and maintaining lung capacity isn’t just about avoiding shortness of breath, it’s a cornerstone of health and longevity.
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So, the next time you catch yourself taking shallow breaths, pause and give your lungs the attention they deserve. A few minutes of mindful breathing today could add years of energy and vitality to your future.

References
Shin et al (2016). The immediate effects of spinal thoracic manipulation on respiratory functions. Journal of Physical Therapy Science.