Spirometric predicted values for teenage boys: relation to body composition and exercise performance.

Forced expiratory volume and vital capacity of 428 healthy adolescent boys have been related to the age, body size, body composition, athletic prowess and maximal oxygen uptake. After allowing for age and height the lung function is related to the fat free mass and index of muscularity (fat free mass/height 2) but not to the other indices. This finding contributes to the derivation of reference values and to understanding the factors which promote the development of the lungs during adolescence.