Boys generally have larger absolute lung volumes than girls, even when matched for height, but their relative lung volumes are similar.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
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Absolute vs. Relative Lung Volume: It's important to distinguish between absolute lung volume (the actual size of the lungs) and relative lung volume (lung size in proportion to body size, often height).
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Larger Absolute Lung Volumes in Boys: Studies indicate that males tend to have larger lungs overall. This means a boy's lungs can physically hold more air than a girl's.
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Similar Relative Lung Volumes: When lung size is adjusted for factors like height, the differences between boys and girls are less significant. This suggests that lung capacity relative to body size is comparable between the sexes.
In summary, while boys typically have larger lungs in terms of absolute volume, the efficiency of their lungs relative to their body size is generally similar to that of girls.
