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Your body’s cells need oxygen to live. That’s why it’s crucial to care for your lungs, which help transport oxygen.
As you age, changes to your bones, muscles and lung tissue can compromise the organ, causing shortness of breath and increasing your risk of infection.
Exposure to air pollutants can compromise your lungs, as can heart failure, which can lead to fluid buildup. Some decline in lung function is expected as you age, but exercise and other steps can ease your breathing.
Environmental pollutants can cause inflammation in the lungs and narrow your airways.
“Your lungs do their best to break things down and clear them away, but it’s shocking how much material the body can’t get rid of,” says MeiLan Han, chief of the division of pulmonary and critical care at University of Michigan Health.
Smoking, for example — as well as secondhand smoke exposure — is known to cause long-term lung damage. Other irritants, such as dust, chemicals and air pollution, can also affect pulmonary health, Han says. She recommends wearing an N95 mask if you’re cleaning a dusty space, spray-painting or using strong chemical cleaners. And follow air-quality forecasts to stay indoors or wear a mask outside when the quality is poor.
After three years of covering covid, I built my own air filter
When possible, choose cleaning products labeled “Safer Choice” by the Environmental Protection Agency to help prevent lung irritation.
Air purifiers can help promote better air quality throughout your home. Consider upgrading your central filtration system or use in-room air purifiers.
“Prioritize them in areas with more emissions, such as your kitchen area or living room if you have a fireplace, and areas where you spend more time, such as your bedroom,” Han says. HEPA filters are best because they filter many of the tiny particles that can damage your lungs.
Heart and lung health go hand in hand, says G.R. Scott Budinger, chief of pulmonary and critical care at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Some evidence suggests that the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet can help promote lung function in people with lung disease.
A nutritious diet can also help support your immune system so your body can fend off respiratory infections better. Prioritize antioxidant-rich foods (primarily fruits and vegetables) as well to stave off inflammation in the lungs and throughout the body.
At least three vaccines are available to help protect against diseases that can cause serious damage to your lungs.
Seniors made up 63 percent of covid hospitalizations earlier this year
Pneumococcal: Those 65 and older are more likely to get pneumonia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though we don’t understand exactly why, Budinger says. Pneumococcal vaccines (in a one- or two-shot series) are recommended for this age group.
Covid-19: Images of coronavirus-damaged lungs have become common in newspapers since the pandemic began, and most older adults have already received their primary vaccine series to protect against the disease. But for adults 65 and up, the CDC now recommends an additional updated bivalent booster.
Influenza: Get an annual flu shot. Even when it doesn’t prevent the flu, it can make a case much milder.
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