Aitor Viribay Profile picture
Jul 1, 2021 16 tweets 4 min read Read on X
Here we go with some random-interesting facts about lactate and metabolism. A dynamic threat where everybody can add interesting info. (following the order) about lactate and its implication in exercise, health, and disease metabolism.
#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitor
Let´s start learning!

1- Glycolysis byproduct that can be produced and utilized by various (almost every) body cell.
2- Highly dynamic metabolite as it can "travel" through different intra-extra cellular compartments.

#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitor
3-LDH enzyme is responsible for its oxidation and reduction to pyruvate. But it has more affinity to Pyruvate? WTF!
4.1-MCT proteins "family" in charge of its transport in different tissues (different isoforms). Specific for L-Lactate

#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitor
4.2- MCTs are not only for L-lactate, but also other metabolites like pyruvate or Ketone Bodies (higher Km than Lactate, by the way).
5- ILS (intracellular lactate shuttle) + Cell-Cell lactate shuttle hypothesis support its dynamism.

#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitor
6.1- It´s produced mainly in Type II fiber (highly glycolytic)
6.2- Consumed in Type I & IIa fibers = oxidation; Type IIx = glycogenesis).
6.3- It all depends on pH, muscle metabolic rate, blood flow, etc.

#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitor
7- Heart´s mitochondria are big consumers of Lactate, especially during exercise.
8- Neurons can use it (preferably to others) as a fuel source: glycolysis or glycogenesis. The brain EATS lactate!

#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitor
9- Skeletal muscle is the main lactate producer and consumer tissue, especially during exercise = the lactate fabric.
10- High [La-] downregulates glycolytic flux decreasing PFK´s and hexokinase´s activities.

#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitor
11.1- Lactate is not only a fuel source but also a major gluconeogenic metabolite (liver, mainly).
11.2- And even a signalling molecule with important implications in metabolism and protein transcription.

#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitor Image
11.3- It could play an important role in mitochondrial dynamics by stimulating mito. biogenesis. Exercise, training, production and oxidation, Z2, Fat max, blood [La-] and flux, eating carbohydrates... = all related concepts😊

#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitor Image
12- It’s very difficult to compare absolute values of blood [La-] between individuals, but… the avg value among all elite/pro athletes I have tested in cycling and running, at VT1 intensity (~FatMax/slightly lower) is ~1,6mmol/L.

#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitor
13- Lactate can also influence food behavior around exercise. Post-exercise appetite depression was associated with higher blood [La-] mediated by changes in GLP-1, PYY, and acylated-ghrelin. These peptides/hormones regulate appetite.

#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitor
14-⬆️lactate flux in mitochondria can inhibit fatty acid lipolysis in peripheral tissues, transport into the inner membrane, and even beta-oxidation in TCA cycle.This happens through the regulation of CPT1, Malonil CoA, and Acetyl CoA.

#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitor Image
15-As seen in some previous points, lactate can be a strong signalling metabolite in several cells/tissues. The tumoral cell is one of those environments where lactate plays an important signalling role. Check👇🏼

#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitorfrontiersin.org/articles/10.33…
16- We can´t find "lactic acid" in physiological pH, so we should speak about "lactate" in the human body. In fact, our "lactate" concept refers to L-Lactate enantiomer, not D-Lactate (it could even be negative for the body).

#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitor
@Glut4Science 17- Lactate has the capacity to regulate its own metabolism. It’s so cool!

The questions that arises: why has lactate this power?



#Lactatefacts by @Glut4Science and @MVAitorsciencedirect.com/science/articl…
@Glut4Science 18- A VERY important #Lactatefacts:

Lactate is the primary source of carbons for the TCA (our main energy producing pathway), and, therefore, the MAIN source of energy for the body🤯. Lactate showed the higher turnover flux among different carbon metabolites.
Hui S, et al. 2017. Image

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Aitor Viribay

Aitor Viribay Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @MVAitor

Jul 17, 2025
1. How off are we from the "REAL NUMBER" in sports (TDF for example)?

Just imagine what we call 200w is not really the real number. Imagine it´s 250w. We're 50w off. Is it problematic? Well, if sensitivity of the measurement is good, probably it would not.

A 🧵without pictures.
2. We can definitely operate well - predictions, analysis, etc. being always 50w off. However, when other factors come to the table, that error will be more notorious. For example, when aerodynamicists add this number to their equations. The % error increases with consequences...
3. Nothing new. Well, in nutrition and energy expenditure, unfortunately, we are quite far off the real number. In many cases, more than 1500 kcal!!

This means that we can be up to 40% off between our calculations and the real number!!

Of course, we can keep working with it...
Read 9 tweets
May 28, 2025
1/13 How much energy (Kcal) do trail runners expend in reality? A thread after testing pro athletes with DLW.

6 months ago, I changed my job to take a new opportunity. I changed sport discipline as well. Left cycling behind, and opened a new chapter in trail running and running. Image
Image
2/13 Cycling is my life (the sport I grew up with) and it will be always be. I have learned almost everything I know in cycling. But growing up in Basque Country means mountains are part of our lives. Trail running as a sport has been always there.
3/13 Even, I did my first research and explored the high CHO intakes in Trail running () back on the days.

Definitely I felt so attracted by learning and exploring deeper in this sport.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32403259/
Read 13 tweets
Dec 1, 2024
I have been using this slide for >5 years to explain the nutritional approach we have been researching last years (and we still keep doing it).

- The core of it all is metabolism.
- The goal: To make athletes´ careers sustainable.

Sometimes it has been misunderstood.
A thread: Image
We have investigated the effects of carbohydrate intake during exercise. Although it has been understood (misunderstood at times?) as the ultimate goal, the real one has been always to frame it within "nutrition guidelines" (as a whole).
Fuelling during exercise is only an excuse
Unfortunately, the message has gone maybe too far.

Some people have understood the approach is:
- The more sugars, the better.
- Always sugars.
- More sugar.
- And simple sugars.

Reality is completely different. Do you want to know how the approach is really?
Read 20 tweets
Jan 13, 2024
I've been fortunate this week to chat with 2 professionals in sports science & communication for their respective podcasts. One recurring question was about the intake of 120g CHO/h during exercise and our studies. A perfect opportunity to provide a bit of context to the topic.
Image
Image
Taking advantage of the opportunity, I thought it would be cool to explain it here through a small thread.

1) What we did is to study a specific effect in a very specific context.



mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/5…
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
In other words, we've investigated that when a person capable of digesting, absorbing, and converting a high intake of carbohydrates during exercise—previously set by science @ 90g/h—ingests a certain amount, they can optimize related effects by ingesting a higher amount (120g/h)
Read 22 tweets
Oct 16, 2023
1. Nitric Oxide (NO) pathway rise in interest in the health and performance fields. Diverse supplementation approaches ignite NO production, yielding multiple benefits, including adaptations from cell metabolism to whole-body physiology. Image
2. As physiologists, we have been always interested in the topic and some years ago we started a series of humble studies led by @MielgoAyuso, researching an emerging area: combined supplementation protocols to optimise NO pathway performance.

Let me introduce you:
3. We started publishing a systematic review and meta analysis in 2 main amino-acids participating in the NO pathway (Arginine and Citrulline).

Arginine:

Citrulline:

That was already interesting to see isolated effects. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32370176/
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
Image
Read 8 tweets
Sep 13, 2023
Short threat on metabolism.

When discussing human energy budget, I have been always interested in understanding which one comes first: Energy intake or expenditure.

IMHO, first you need to "show capacity" (⬆️ your mito. function) and then "ask for resources" (⬆️energy intake). Image
Why dogs 📸?

I have always looked at dogs (especially Balto😏), as they are a good example of what the mammalian metabolism can do. Sled dogs not only show an AMAZING mitochondrial function, but some interesting facts in energy budget.

Do you know how many kcal do they eat? Image
10.000 kcal/day (408kcal/kg/day) !!😳

Clearly, they not only NEED those kcal to go through 1000 miles in Alaska, but they ARE ABLE to metabolise that energy.

But, how is this in athletes? It's well known that better athletes are able to use more energy & do it more efficiently. Image
Read 8 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(