TARIK MOUFID

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The Truth About Lactate (Part I)

This is part I of a series I wrote about lactate. If you want to see the other parts:

It’s one of the most widespread misconceptions in the sports and fitness world that lactic acid causes muscle fatigue. Even in medicine, lactate has long been considered a dead-end metabolite—a fatigue agent or metabolic poison. But here’s the truth: lactate is not the villain! It’s actually one of the most important fuels we have, essential for energy utilization, cell signaling and adaptation.

Let’s start breaking some myths:

❌ Misconception #1: Lactic Acid in the muscle

It’s easy to associate “lactic acid” with the “burn” during intense exercise, but here’s the thing: the body doesn’t produce lactic acid, and the quantities we can measure are negligible, since it’s converted directly into lactate. The body produces lactate, a different molecule which plays a crucial role in energy production.

❌ Misconception #2: Lactate is a Waste Product

Lactate is quite commonly associated to muscle soreness and fatigue during intense exercise. But it couldn’t be further from the truth, since lactate outnumbers pyruvate 10:1 during glycolysis (breakdown of glucose for energy production) even in the presence of oxygen. Essentially, lactate is not a waste product, but the end-product of glycolysis even in aerobic conditions, and that is a huge difference, meaning lactate is a key energy source, not a waste product.

❌ Misconception #3: Lactate Causes Muscle Soreness

If you’re feeling sore after a workout, don’t blame lactate! In reality, lactate helps buffer acid buildup in your muscles. The real culprit for soreness and the burn sensation is hydrogen ions (H+), which accumulate when your muscles and liver can’t keep up with energy demands. 🪫

In Conclusion:

Lactate isn’t a waste product or a dead-end metabolite—it’s an essential fuel for your cells, even in aerobic conditions. From muscle health to liver and brain function, lactate plays a vital role in overall metabolic health.

It’s important to demystify lactate in the context of sports because it has been misrepresented as this waste product for so long but in reality it’s the unsung hero of our health acting as a fuel, a hormone and a buffer. Therefore, I think it’s essential to pay close attention to it in the context of overall health from an informed perspective.

It’s time to change the narrative and give lactate the recognition it deserves. In the next posts, I’ll explore the role of lactate in glycolysis. I will also discuss resting lactate as a biomarker for metabolic health. I’ll cover its signalling and hormonal role. Additionally, lactate will be examined in the context of exercise and brain health.

Sources:

#Lactate #LactateFacts #FitnessMyths #MetabolicHealth #SportsScience #Health #ExerciseScience #FitnessEducation #PerformanceOptimization