Scientific Programme

Exchange Symposia

IS-EX03 - ACSM-ECSS exchange symposium: Lactate metabolism

Date: 02.07.2025, Time: 11:00 - 12:15, Session Room: Anfiteatro

Description

Lactate (La-) metabolism has long been a controversial topic in research, clinical, and athletic settings. Since its discovery in 1780, La- has often been erroneously viewed as simply a hypoxic waste product with multiple deleterious effects. Not until the 1980s, with the introduction of the cell-to-cell lactate shuttle did a paradigm shift in our understanding of the role of La- in metabolism begin. The evidence for La- as a major player in the coordination of whole-body metabolism has since grown rapidly. La- is a readily combusted fuel that is shuttled throughout the body. Through rapid multisystem exchange involving membrane monocarboxylate transporters, lactate concentration ([La-]) in the blood offers a partial "snapshot" of relative rates of glycolytic La- production and its mitochondrial consumption. Thus, while strenuous physical activity elicits a transient La- accumulation, adaptations to exercise training often include attenuated [La-]s for a given submaximal work rate, as well as lower [La-]s at rest. Despite these new perspectives, many fundamental discoveries about La- are still working their way into mainstream research, clinical care, and practice. Beyond the basic mechanisms, various indices of La- metabolism are central to our understanding of performance, assessment, and training in athletes. Primary among these are the La- and gas exchange thresholds, maximal La- steady state and its relationship to critical power/speed and the use of peak and recovery La- dynamics to evaluate ‘anaerobic capacity’. These exchange lectures will synthesize current understanding of La- metabolism from basic physiology/biochemistry to applied sports considerations.