TYPICALLY labeled a “waste” product produced by muscles because lactate rises to high levels in the blood during extreme exercise. Athletic trainers and competitive athletes think of lactate as the cause of muscle fatigue, reduced performance and pain. However, it is a historic mistake, according to George Brooks, a professor of integrative biology at the University of California.
In a recent article in the journal Cell Metabolism, reviews the history of the misunderstanding of lactate – often called lactic acid – a small molecule that plays a big role in metabolism. The classic mistake was to note that when a cell was under stress, there was a lot of lactate, then blame it on lactate. The proper interpretation is that lactate production is a strain response, it’s there to compensate for metabolic stress. It is the way cells push back on deficits in metabolism.
Gradually, physiologists, nutritionists, clinicians and sports medicine practitioners are beginning to realize that high lactate levels seen in the blood during illness or after injury, such as severe head trauma, are not a problem to get rid of, but, in contrast, a key part of the body’s repair process that needs to be bolstered. “After injury, adrenaline will activate the sympathetic nervous system and that will give rise to lactate production. It is like gassing up the car before a race,” Brooks said.
Without this added fuel, the body wouldn’t have enough energy to repair itself, and Brooks says that studies suggest that lactate supplementation during illness or after injury could speed recovery.
Lactic acid training is used by body builders and other athletes who want to lose weight quickly but also gain muscle and endurance. A variety of exercises can be included as part of lactic acid training. All of them involve pushing your body to its limits using resistance training with certified trainers.
