Weak muscles decrease an individual's ability to achieve peak flows – the rate at which he or she expels air from the lungs.
But physical activity in normal people is unlikely to increase the lungs' functioning.
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"Exercise to strengthen (the lungs) beyond a certain point will not help, as there are other flow-limiting factors," says Prof Robert Gie, a paediatric pulmonologist at the University of Stellenbosch's Faculty of Health Sciences.
When one takes a look specifically at lung capacity, a positive effect is also unlikely.
"The airways of the lungs are fully developed at birth and only get bigger as a child grows. The alveoli (blind-ended air sacs in the lungs) mostly develop in the first two years of life and certainly stop multiplying by seven to eight years of age," Gie says. "After this, they grow larger as the child grows. For these reasons, it is unlikely that exercise will enlarge lung capacity."
Link to asthma?
When one thinks of exercise and lung capacity in children, asthma also springs to mind. But, according to research, lack of exercise is unlikely to increase the risk of asthma.
The only link is the fact that too little exercise in childhood can lead to obesity, which, in turn, can increase the child's risk for asthma.
Exercise-induced asthma
And the only other association with physical activity is so-called exercise-induced asthma.
It is a well-known fact that asthmatics have increased bronchial hyper-reactivity. This means that their airways constrict easier than non-asthmatics. One of the stimuli that can lead to this "narrowing" of the airways is exercise.
But the exercise itself isn't to blame.
If a child suffers from exercise-induced asthma, it is simply a sign that the asthma is poorly controlled and measures need to be taken to improve the asthma control, Gie says.
Exercise-induced asthma can be prevented by taking medication before doing exercise. – (Carine van Rooyen, Health24, February 2006)
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