MyHeart

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Authors
  • Resources
    • MitraClip University
      • Advanced Steering
    • POTS Center
    • Heart Healthy Nutrition
    • MyHeart Videos
  • Articles
  • Podcasts
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising
Home / Lactic Acid – Overview / Lactic Acid – The Truth

Lactic Acid – The Truth

Lactic Acid Guide

Lactic Acid – An Overview

What Is Lactic Acid?

Why Is Lactic Acid Produced?

Where is Lactic Acid Produced?

How is Lactic Acid Produced?

What Happens to Lactic Acid?

The Difference Between Lactic Acid and Lactate

So What Does Make the Cells Acidic?

Measuring Lactic Acid Levels

Lactic Acid – The Truth

Lactic Acid – Misconceptions and Myths

Lactic Acid – Commercial Applications

Lactate Threshold

 

The Truth about Lactic Acid

Surprisingly the truth is that lactic acid actually protects against the acidosis it was accused of causing and as such is a helpful product that can actually allow muscles to contract for longer. When we look back at the literature it becomes evident that scientists have been questioning the misconception of lactic acid for decades (Wilkie 1979) so it is amazing how this myth still perpetuates.

To understand why lactic acid isn’t the enemy we must deconstruct the lactic acid myth. As explained the belief is that lactic acid is produced by the cell when there is not enough oxygen or the energy requirements are more than the cell can produce using the oxidative phosphorylation system. It is then thought that the acid environment caused by the lactic acid decreases the functionality of the muscle to contract.

 “lactic acid does not make the cell acidic”

The fact is that lactic acid is not the source of acidosis in the cell. When we look at the full reaction of the conversion of glucose to pyruvate (glycolysis) and then lactic acid what we see is that there is no net production of hydrogen ions (acid). Even more interesting than this is the fact that if we feed glycogen and not glucose into the glycolysis reaction it actually results in consumption of a hydrogen ion and is thus reducing the acid within the cell!

Also as explained earlier, if we look at the conversion of pyruvate to lactate

Pyruvate + H+ + NADH → Lactate + NAD+

we see that the conversion of pyruvate to lactate not only consumes a hydrogen ion (acid) but also produces NAD+ which allows the whole glycolysis cycle to continue

Glucose + 2 NAD+ + 2 ADP + 2 Pi → 2 Pyruvate + 2 NADH + 2 H+ + 2 ATP + 2 H2O

 So lactic acid is actually produced to buffer the cell against acidosis and helps to keep going the reactions that the cells need to produce energy in demanding times.

“lactate or lactic acid actually buffers the cell against acidosis”

Once the lactic acid has been produced is has a few fates and these have been discussed earlier. It is interesting to know at this point that the transporter that is responsible for removing lactic acid from the cells is also a symport (meaning that it carries two things out of the cell together) for hydrogen ions, meaning that as lactic acid leaves the cell it can take acid with it which further protects the cell from acidosis.

References

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Connect with:
Facebook Google Twitter
If you need immediate medical attention, please call 911. These comments are not guaranteed to be read in a timely manner and should not be used to seek immediate medical advice.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Posts

  • Reasons for Geographic And Racial Difference in Strokes
  • IN “REGARDS” TO THE STROKE BELT.
  • Arts in Medicine with Kimberly Kirklin at UAB and Dr Rachel Easterwood in New York
  • THE CHRONIC LEAKY MITRAL VALVE
  • Leaky Mitral Valve

Categories

  • Aortic disease (7)
  • Featured Articles (65)
  • General Health (38)
    • Complementary Medicine (1)
  • Heart Disease (176)
    • Cardiac Arrhythmias (17)
    • Coronary Artery Disease (51)
    • Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathies (29)
    • Heart Valves (46)
  • Heart Health (112)
    • Diet & Nutrition (36)
    • Exercise (34)
    • Risk & Prevention (54)
  • Medical News (9)
  • Podcast (65)
  • Tests & Investigations (28)
  • Uncategorized (3)
  • Vascular Disease (27)
    • Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) (14)
RECENT POSTS
  • Reasons for Geographic And Racial Difference in Strokes
  • IN “REGARDS” TO THE STROKE BELT.
  • Arts in Medicine with Kimberly Kirklin at UAB and Dr Rachel Easterwood in New York
  • THE CHRONIC LEAKY MITRAL VALVE
  • Leaky Mitral Valve
FOLLOW US
ABOUT MY HEART

MyHeart is a group of physicians dedicated to empowering patients to take control of their health. Read by over a million people every year, MyHeart is quickly becoming a “go to” resource for patients across the world.

POPULAR TOPICS ON MYHEART
  • POTS Syndrome Center
  • Earlobe Crease & Heart Disease
  • Atrial Fibrillation with RVR
  • STEMI
  • MitraClip
  • Mitral Regurgitation
NAVIGATION
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Authors
  • Resources
    • MitraClip University
      • Advanced Steering
    • POTS Center
    • Heart Healthy Nutrition
    • MyHeart Videos
  • Articles
  • Podcasts
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising

Privacy Policy. Terms of Use.
© 2023 MyHeart. All rights reserved.
MyHeart is not a substitute for advice from a doctor. Read our medical disclaimer. Sitemap.