Religious attendance is found to improve lung health

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Following a religion has benefits on lung health, according to researchers.
Research in recent years has underlined the benefits of religion to both mental and physical health. Now researchers at Harvard School of Public Health underline this in a report on a group of over 1,000 older people followed up for five years. They found that the lungs of elderly people who follow a religion by attending services seem to be healthier than those who do not.

This may be because those who have an active interest in religion are less likely to smoke or are more physically active. The findings revealed that the lungs of those who attend religious services age at half the rate of those who do not. Lung function is a good indicator of general health, the researchers say, so the study demonstrates a link between physical wellbeing and attending religious services.

Source
Annals of Behavioural Medicine November 2006

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