The lungs and respiratory system perform a vital function in the body, allowing oxygen in the air to be taken into the body while also getting rid of carbon dioxide in the air breathed out. However, can you identify whether your lungs are in excellent health according to how many seconds you can hold their breath? Let's look at the viral claim first.

Social Media Claim

Recently, one of the Facebook pages posted a video clip showing instructions and an exercise that asked users to hold their breath so they could identify whether their lungs were healthy. The post with the video clip above has been shared many times by social media users, who have also expressed mixed opinions and reactions.

Below is the full video clip the Facebook page wrote: "How to know you have healthy lungs." Facebook Post | Archived Link

We discovered other videos supporting this assertion after conducting a relevant keyword search online. As a result, we have found another claim that was posted yesterday. The video claims that if one could not hold their breath for 15 seconds, then the person's lungs were weak, and 40 seconds meant healthy lungs, and if one could hold up to a minute and 15 seconds, lungs were in excellent condition.

Facebook Post | Archived Link

Another video claim has also been posted and seen on other social media users recently. Facebook Post | Archived Link

This claim went viral among WhatsApp users as well.

Fact Check

Fact Crescendo's team reviewed the above claim through keyword searches and health recommendations and noticed that simple breath-holding tests could possibly have created these viral claims.

Saberazes Breath Holding Test

The breath-holding test also called the 'Saberazes breath-holding test,' is a simple test that measures the body's response to the oxygen-carbon dioxide balance in the alveolar air, blood, and tissues under all conditions of health and disease. To perform the test, the patient is asked to take a full breath, but not too deep, and hold it for as long as possible. A typical result is greater than 25 seconds, while a result of less than 15 seconds indicates poor cardio-pulmonary reserve (CPR) and may be a contraindication for elective surgery.

However, medical experts assert that the Saberazes breath hold test is not a diagnostic tool and should not be used for that purpose.

Consultant respiratory doctor Duminda Yasaratne in Sri Lanka

We asked respiratory doctor Duminda Yasaratne about this, and he mentioned that assessing lung health solely based on the activity depicted in the video shared on social media is not advisable.

In general, people who have the ability to hold their breath for more than 10–15 seconds are usually people who have good lung capacity. However, even if someone with healthy lungs can't keep their breath that long, it doesn't necessarily mean their lungs aren't in good shape; it's important to note that making conclusions about lung health solely based on breath-holding duration may not be accurate.

Also, Dr. Duminda Yasaratne pointed out that although people with respiratory disorders cannot hold their breath for so long, he pointed out that in some cases, it is difficult to conclude that such people do not have a disability due to holding their breath.

Health experts in Ghana also state that the viral claim is misleading.

Speaking to a Ghana fact-finding team, Dr. Jonas Afari, an anesthesiologist at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, and Dr. Akosua Hemeng of United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust UK say that the content of the video shared on social media has not been accepted as valid facts by medical professional groups.

Also, in general, the longer a person can hold their breath, the healthier their lungs are and the greater their cardiopulmonary capacity. This is usually the Sabrasez breath-holding test mentioned above. However, they say holding their breath as a challenge can sometimes have adverse effects.

They further point out that there are more straightforward and more acceptable lung function assessment methods. How far a person can walk can be analyzed using a spirometer and more sophisticated means such as blood gas analysis.

Ghana Medical Association (GMA) Vice President Dr. Frank Serebour also said in relation to the video that there is no evidence that the method can test lung function. Here is a fact check done by Ghanafact related to such claims.

Version from WHO and Other Experts

World Health Organization (WHO) has clarified and confirmed that "being able to hold your breath for 10 seconds or more without coughing or feeling discomfort DOES NOT mean you are free from the other lung disease". This clarification comes after similar methods claiming to check your lungs and oxygen levels have become viral, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

World Health Organization (WHO) | Archived Link

Additionally, a video demonstration of the "Breath Holding Test" was released and posted by MedBridge, indicating that while the test helps identify our breathing patterns, other factors also influence how we breathe. MedBridge | Archived Link

ScienceDirect, a website that provides access to an extensive bibliographic database of scientific and medical publications of the Dutch publisher Elsevier, has also observed and stated that "the breathing patterns vary among individuals and may be influenced by pain, emotion, body temperature, sleep, body position, activity level, and the presence of pulmonary, cardiac, metabolic, or nervous system disease."

ScienceDirect | Archived Link

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Conclusion

Fact Crescendo team found the claim, as mentioned above, misleading. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that holding your breath for more than ten seconds does not imply that you are disease-free from lung disease. On the other hand, a breath-holding test is employed in conjunction with several other testing techniques to assess various health issues.

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