Lactate
Episodes
In this clip, Dr. Martin Gibala examines the cognitive benefits of HIIT and the emerging insights on lactate's role in brain health.
In this clip, Dr. Martin Gibala explores HIIT's effects on VO2 max, highlighting the importance of personalized exercise routines.
In this clip, Dr. Martin Gibala describes the benefits and public health potentials of Reduced Exertion High-Intensity Training.
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In this clip, Dr. Martin Gibala examines the cognitive benefits of HIIT and the emerging insights on lactate's role in brain health.
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In this clip, Dr. Martin Gibala explores HIIT's effects on VO2 max, highlighting the importance of personalized exercise routines.
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In this clip, Dr. Martin Gibala describes the benefits and public health potentials of Reduced Exertion High-Intensity Training.
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Dr. Martin Gibala discusses HIIT's health benefits and describes common HIIT protocols.
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Rhonda Exercise Aging Sleep Telomeres Vitamin C Cholesterol Omega-3 DNA Damage Fasting Coffee Magnesium Eyes Calcium Time-Restricted Eating Breast Milk Moringa LactateDr. Rhonda Patrick answers audience questions on various health, nutrition, and science topics in this Q&A session.
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In this clip, Dr. Dominic D'Agostino discusses the neuroprotective potential associated with a combination of ketones and lactate in the management of traumatic brain injury.
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Rhonda Brain Vitamin C Immune System Magnesium Heat Stress Muscle Cold Stress Vitamin K Zinc Sulforaphane Sauna Vegetarian COVID-19 Cocoa LactateDr. Rhonda Patrick answers audience questions on various health, nutrition, and science topics in this Q&A session.
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In this clip, Dr. Peter Attia describes the potential use of lactate or beta-hydroxybutyrate in the treatment of traumatic brain injury.
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In this clip, Dr. Peter Attia and Dr. Rhonda Patrick examine the use of various fuel sources in brain metabolism.
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Dr. George Brooks discusses the metabolic pathway known as the “lactate shuttle" and its role in the recovery from traumatic brain injury.
Topic Pages
News & Publications
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Uphill walking, even at a slow pace, provides cognitive benefits by increasing brain lactate and stimulating BDNF production—a protein critical for memory and learning. www.sciencedirect.com
If you’re struggling to remember things, a robust workout might help. Scientists have discovered that exercise can increase levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports learning and memory. A recent study in rats found that low-speed uphill exercise raises blood lactate levels, increasing lactate and BDNF in key brain regions involved in cognition.
Researchers divided rats into three groups: One remained inactive, another walked on a flat treadmill, and a third walked uphill at a 40% incline. The exercise sessions lasted either 30 or 90 minutes. To see if lactate from the blood contributed to brain changes, some rats also received a direct lactate injection.
Uphill exercise increased lactate levels in the animals' blood and brains, while flat treadmill walking did not. After 90 minutes, uphill exercise also raised BDNF levels in brain regions linked to memory and learning. The lactate injection showed that blood lactate passed into the brain, reinforcing that exercise-induced increases in blood lactate can influence brain chemistry.
These findings suggest that walking uphill—even slowly—provides cognitive benefits by raising brain lactate and stimulating BDNF production. This type of exercise could be a practical and safe way to support brain health, especially for older adults or those looking to enhance memory and learning. To learn more strategies to boost brain health, check out the Cognitive Enhancement Blueprint, a member-only perk.
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Three or more concussions may worsen brain function later in life. www.sciencedaily.com
Experiencing multiple concussions increases a person’s risk of poor brain function later in life, a new study shows. People who experienced three or more concussions exhibited cognitive deficits that worsened with each subsequent concussion.
Researchers collected self-reported concussion histories from more than 5,700 adults between 50 and 70 years old. They administered cognitive tests to gauge changes in the participants' brain function every year for up to four years.
They found that participants who experienced three mild concussions in their lifetime had difficulty with attention and performing complex tasks later in life. Participants who experienced four mild concussions had difficulty with processing speed and working memory – an aspect of cognitive function that allows a person to remember information for relevant tasks. However, experiencing even one moderate-to-severe concussion impaired the participants' attention and the ability to perform complex tasks and process information.
These findings underscore the risks associated with even mild brain injury. Some evidence suggests that lactate and ketones may be beneficial in treating brain injury. Learn more in this clip featuring Dr. Dominic D'Agostino.
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Fast food diet before pregnancy can impact breast milk and baby’s health www.joh.cam.ac.uk
Fast food during pregnancy harms both mother and offspring and interferes with milk production.
Fast foods – burgers, fries, pizzas, sugar-sweetened drinks, and many others – are often high in calories, saturated fat, added sugars, and salt. Regular consumption of fast foods is associated with an increased risk for many chronic diseases. Findings from a recent study suggest that eating fast food during pregnancy negatively influences maternal health during pregnancy and undermines the nutritional quality of a mother’s breast milk.
Breast milk is a complex and highly dynamic fluid that changes in composition in response to the growing infant’s needs. It contains both nutritional and non-nutritional components and is profoundly influenced by maternal health and dietary intake.
The investigators fed one group of mice a high-fat, high-sugar diet that mimicked the nutritional content of fast food before, during, and after pregnancy. They fed another group a normal diet. They assessed the mothers' metabolic health, milk output, and milk composition, and assessed the offspring’s health.
They found that the mice that ate the high-fat, high-sugar diet were heavier and had higher blood glucose and insulin levels during pregnancy than the mice that ate the normal diet. They also had fatty livers and showed signs of changes in their pancreatic tissues. More of the offspring born to the mice that ate the high-fat, high-sugar diet died during the lactation period due to poor maternal mammary gland development and diminished milk protein production.
These findings suggest that eating foods that are high in fat and sugar (such as fast foods) during pregnancy negatively influences maternal health and undermines the nutritional quality of a mother’s breast milk. Learn more about breast milk and breastfeeding in our overview article.
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Exercise exploits the immune system to fight cancer. www.sciencedaily.com
Exercise is a critical component of public health recommendations to prevent cancer. A growing body of scientific research demonstrates that engaging in exercise after a cancer diagnosis can improve outcomes, but the mechanisms that mediate these effects are not fully characterized. Findings from a new study demonstrate that exercise alters the metabolism of cytotoxic T cells to improve their ability to attack cancer cells.
Cytotoxic T cells play key roles in the body’s immune response. They destroy malignant cells by triggering apoptosis – a type of cellular self-destruct mechanism that rids the body of damaged or aged cells.
The authors of the study placed mice with cancer into one of two groups. Half of the mice exercised on a treadmill, but the other half remained inactive. They transferred cytotoxic T cells from the mice that exercised into the inactive mice. Then they isolated T cells, blood, and tissues from the exercising mice. Finally, the authors injected both groups of mice with antibodies that would destroy the animals' cytotoxic T cells.
The mice that exercise exhibited slower cancer growth and reduced death rates than those that remained inactive. The inactive mice that received the cytotoxic T cells from exercised mice showed marked improvements in their disease status. The exercising mice had high blood levels of lactate, which altered the T cells' metabolism and increased the cells' activity. Destroying the animals' cytotoxic T cells negated the beneficial effects that the exercise had in terms of cancer growth and survival.
Taken together, these findings suggest that exercise alters cytotoxic T cells to mediate exercise-induced cancer suppression. Treatment protocols that incorporate exercise might improve outcomes by activating the immune system.