Biomarkers · Functional Fitness

Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second (FEV1)

Higher values go with lower risk of death. Not measured in our NHANES panel. The curve is drawn from the published study (source below).

FEV1 and risk of death

Published curve higher than the NHANES fitNHANES fit higher

Risk of death relative to the curve's reference value, drawn from the published study (source below).

Published risk of death1.21×per unit (1 SD) decrement in FEV1 z-score (GLI 2012) (95% CI 1.17–1.26) · UK Biobank white never-smokers aged 40-69 (replicated in HSE/SHS, n=6579: HR 1.17, 1.09-1.25)

FEV1 by age and sex

Each bar runs from the 5th to the 95th percentile, the darker part from the 25th to the 75th, and the tick is the median. Not a reference range or a target.

The percentiles as a table

Each row is one sex and age band: the values below which 5%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 95% of people fall (L), from the survey named in the row. Not a reference range or a target.
Sex	Age	5th	25th	Median	75th	95th	n	Cycle / source
All	20-39	2.47	3.09	3.60	4.27	5.18	1,623	NHANES 2011-2012
All	40-59	1.86	2.54	3.00	3.62	4.49	1,478	NHANES 2011-2012
All	60-79	1.47	1.94	2.37	2.96	3.86	1,044	NHANES 2011-2012
All	all	1.77	2.55	3.14	3.82	4.86	4,145	NHANES 2011-2012
Men	20-39	3.09	3.74	4.19	4.70	5.40	866	NHANES 2011-2012
Men	40-59	2.44	3.13	3.59	4.09	4.86	717	NHANES 2011-2012
Men	60-79	1.67	2.48	3.00	3.43	4.26	526	NHANES 2011-2012
Men	all	2.25	3.18	3.74	4.29	5.15	2,109	NHANES 2011-2012
Women	20-39	2.32	2.78	3.12	3.45	3.93	757	NHANES 2011-2012
Women	40-59	1.66	2.23	2.68	2.95	3.49	761	NHANES 2011-2012
Women	60-79	1.36	1.80	2.08	2.36	2.85	518	NHANES 2011-2012
Women	all	1.61	2.22	2.72	3.12	3.70	2,036	NHANES 2011-2012

What studies found when this marker was changed

They describe what happened in those study groups, not a recommendation. See all catalogued interventions.

Measured changes in FEV1, study by study

3 effects with a numeric size, each from one study arm: the dot is the reported change, the line its 95% interval where one was given. Green points move the marker the way lower risk of death lies; amber the other way. Study results in the groups studied, not predictions for a person.

Each row is one study: what was changed, the effect it reported on this marker, and the source.
Type	Intervention	Reported effect	Evidence	Source
behavioral	Breathing exercises (yoga, Buteyko, Papworth, breathing retraining) vs inactive control in adults with asthma	FEV1 -0.10 L (95% CI -0.32 to 0.12), no significant change	meta-analysis	Santino TA, Chaves GS, Freitas DA, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020.
clinical	High-frequency chest wall oscillation airway clearance for 15 days in bronchiectasis	FEV1 improved by 156 mL with HFCWO applied for 15 days	systematic review	Lee AL, Burge AT, Holland AE. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015.
exercise	Inspiratory muscle training in adults with asthma	FEV1 +0.06 L (95% CI -0.14 to 0.26), not significant	meta-analysis	Lista-Paz A, Bouza Cousillas L, Jacome C, et al. Ann Phys Rehabil Med. 2023.

What else moves this marker

They describe those study groups, not an individual, and an association is not a cause.

Diseases and conditions

Each row is one study: what it compared and the change it reported in this marker.
What	Effect on the marker	Comparison · population	Source
↓ Prior pulmonary tuberculosis · Post-TB lung function vs healthy controls (absolute FEV1, pre-bronchodilator preferred)	-0.41 L (95% CI -0.51 to -0.32)	Previous pulmonary TB vs healthy controls · 19 studies, 75,960 individuals of whom 7,447 had past pulmonary TB	meta analysis · PMID 40412395

Sources

Risk curve: Gupta 2017 (PMID 28706094): all-cause HR 1.21 (1.17-1.26) per unit (1 SD) decrement in FEV1 z-score (GLI 2012). Scaled to US values (NHANES).
Gupta et al. Ventilatory function as a predictor of mortality in lifelong non-smokers: evidence from large British cohort studies. BMJ open. 2017;7:e015381.

Map Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second (FEV1) against another biomarker.

Map FEV1 against another marker