Does lung capacity increase after exercise?
On One Hand: Some Say Exercise Does Not Increase Lung CapacityTotal lung capacity is the maximum volume of air the lungs can hold. It reflects factors such as age, sex, height and ethnicity, observes the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. Exercise, however, has little effect on total lung capacity, observes Jeremy Barnes, professor at Southeast Missouri State University.On the Other: Others Say Lung Capacity Increases With ExerciseThrough stimulating parts of the sympathetic nervous system and mid-brain, exercise increases cardiac output, notes the book “Medical-Surgical Nursing, Sixth Edition,” by Joyce Black et al. While making the cardiovascular system more efficient, exercise increases lung capacity, according to “Chemistry 152” at Washington University in St. Louis.Bottom LinePeople appear to be using the term “lung capacity” differently. During exercise, the lungs expand, increasing ventilation of their tiny air sacs (alveoli) by as much as twenty times. This, however, is not
