Lactic acid: Is it dangerous to your health?

Last updated on February 24th, 2023 at 02:26 am

 5 minutes read.  

   

In this article:

What’s lactic acid?

Role of lactic acid in the body

How is lactic produced in the body?

Is lactic dangerous to your health?

Symptoms of high lactic acid build up

prevention

Lactic Acid in Foods

conclusion

Overview

Lactic acid was classically considered to be a dead-end waste product of carbohydrates that break down in the body during severe exercise.

However, studies show that human beings do not excrete lactate indicating that lactate cannot be considered a dead metabolic end product.

Despite a rapid and massive production of lactate, lactate is finally braked down to the normal metabolic end products carbon dioxide and water. (1)

The more often that someone trains, especially if that person repeatedly does the same types of intense exercises, the less he or she will feel the effects of lactic acid/lactate (like muscle soreness).

 In other words, highly trained athletes become adapted to short periods of high lactic acid levels, which means they have increased tolerance for its uncomfortable effects. (2)

Some of the ways you can prevent too much lactic acid with lactic acidosis include gradually building up exercise intensity, staying hydrated, stretching, taking enough rest days, and fueling with good nutrition before and after workouts.

Let’s find out other details involved to enable you to prevent lactic acid buildup in your body.

What’s lactic acid?

 Lactic acid can be defined as “an organic acid (C3H6O3) present, especially in muscle tissue as a by-product of anaerobic glycolysis, produced in carbohydrate matter usually by bacterial fermentation, and used especially in food and medicine and in industry.”

In simple terms, lactic acid is a chemical your body produces when your cells break down carbohydrates for energy. 

It is also referred to as lactate. Muscle cells and red blood cells make the most lactic acid, but it can come from any tissue in your body.

Most people think of lactic acid in their muscles during a tough workout.

Apart from being found in your body,  it’s also a colorless, syrupy acid formed in fermented/sour milk products, such as yogurt. Lactic acid fermentation helps create foods that contain healthy probiotic bacteria.

Difference between lactic acid and lactate

Often you may hear these two used interchangeably however scientists made to understand the term “lactic acid” is actually an outdated construct and poorly understood.

Lactate is actually what is produced by your body in response to aerobic exercise, not lactic acid.

The difference between the two is based on their chemical compositions.

Lactate is the lactic acid that is missing one proton. Lactic acid donates a proton and then becomes its conjugate base, lactate.

However, because many people still refer to the effects of lactic acid and not lactate, I will mostly use the term lactic acid in this article.

What exactly is the role of lactic acid in the body?

Lactic acts as a fuel (energy) to your cells during intense exercise. It’s created when your body breaks down glucose and other carbohydrates.

It’s a common myth that the muscle soreness you feel after exercise is caused by lactic acid trapped in your cells.

Most people are under the impression that lactic acid in muscles causes soreness and stiffness.

However, according to a Scientific American article written by Stephen M. Roth, a professor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Maryland:

Contrary to popular opinion, lactate or, as it is often called, the lactic acid buildup is not responsible for the muscle soreness felt in the days following strenuous exercise.

Rather, the production of lactate and other metabolites during extreme exertion results in the burning sensation often felt in active muscles. (3)

Because lactate/lactic acid buildup contributes to painful sensations during exercise, it prevents us from overworking and injuring ourselves.

It causes us to slow down, essentially “forcing a recovery period in which the body clears the lactate and other metabolites.”

How is lactic produced in the body?

Lactate is produced from glucose through glycolysis and the conversion of pyruvate by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH).

In more simple terms, lactic acid is produced in higher-than-normal amounts during tough aerobic exercise, since intense physical activity causes the muscles to need more oxygen.

When exercise is vigorous enough to cause a high demand for oxygen that the lungs and heart cannot keep up with, then lactic acid builds up in the blood. (4, 5)

Lactic acid levels increase in some of the following situations, according to the University of Michigan Medicine:

• During strenuous exercise (this is the most common reason among healthy adults).

• When someone experiences heart failure, liver failure, or pulmonary embolism. For example, the liver normally breaks down lactic acid, but when it comes damaged or fails this process becomes impaired.

• When a severe infection develops, such as sepsis.

• When someone takes the medication called metformin (usually given to manage diabetes).

• In response to severe dehydration and/or overheating.

• Due to conditions that affect the blood, such as severe anemia or leukemia.

• Due to carbon monoxide poisoning, alcohol poisoning, or poisoning caused by the consumption of chemicals like antifreeze (ethylene glycol).

• Due to nutrient deficiencies, including low thiamine/B vitamins.

• When your body’s oxygen level is low, such as during intense exercise, it breaks down carbohydrates for energy. This process produces lactic acid.

Here’s a bit more about why and how this happens.

Working muscles generate energy anaerobically from glucose through a process called glycolysis.

Glycolysis takes place when glucose is broken down or metabolized into a substance called pyruvate. This takes place via the Embden-Meyerhof pathway.

The body temporarily converts pyruvate into lactate, which allows glucose breakdown and energy production to continue during short bursts of intense exercise.

This type of anaerobic energy production can power muscles for about one to three minutes.

Lactate levels rise during this time, causing muscles to become more acidic and fatigued, which typically puts a stop to such intensity.

Eventually, lactate exits cells and is transported to the liver, where it is oxidized back to pyruvate and converted to glucose via the Cori cycle. (1,  7, 8, 9 )

Is lactic dangerous to your health?

High lactic acid as a result of exercise is a normal reaction of the body, temporary and not harmful for the most part.

However, when lactic acid levels rise significantly, this is called lactic acidosis, which is considered to be life-threatening. (10, 11, 12)

Lactic acidosis occurs when either the body makes too much lactate or when the body can’t clear lactate quickly enough. This can be due to many different factors, some of which include:

• use of medications
• very intense exercise
• respiratory failure
• heart disease
• anemia

I hope you’re getting value. Let’s find out what the symptom is like.

Symptoms of high lactic acid build up in your body.

Symptoms of lactic acidosis are above and beyond normal muscle fatigue.

They can include:

• trouble breathing/rapid breathing
• excessive sweating
• abdominal pain
• nausea
• vomiting
• confusion
• and sometimes coma

Can you die from lactic acidosis? It’s possible, although treatment helps control symptoms from escalating in many cases. (13, 14 )

What level is normal for your body’s lactic acid/lactate?

Your doctor can perform a blood test in order to measure if your level falls within the normal lactic acid level range.

Sometimes if an infection that affects the brain is suspected to have developed, then the amount of lactic acid in spinal fluid may be measured instead of taking a blood sample.

A normal range of lactic acid, when measured in venous blood, is between 0.5–2.2 milliequivalents per liter (mmol/L, or mEq/L). This is about equal to 4.5 to 19.8 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).

A normal range, when measured in arterial blood, is between 0.5–1.6 mmol/L. Arterial measurements are usually more accurate, but they are more difficult to perform than regular blood tests using blood from a vein. (15, 16, 17 )

Lactic Acid in Foods

You can also find lactic acid in some fermented foods. Lactic acid bacteria, for example, are found in cultured dairy products (or “sour milk” products) like yogurt and kefir.

This acid is formed via anaerobic respiration that is carried out by bacterial strains such as Lactobacillus and others.

 Lactic acid fermentation, which helps produce probiotic foods, “is a metabolic process by which glucose and other six-carbon sugars are converted into cellular energy and the metabolite lactate.” (18 , 19, 20 )

According to Science Direct, “Lactic acid fermentation is the most extended fermentation process, and depending on the microbes employed, the milk obtained can be classified in thermophilic, probiotics, and mesophilic sour milk.” (21)

Prevention

How to prevent high lactic acid/lactate from building up.

What is the fastest way to get rid of lactic acid? Recall that as mentioned above, lactic acid itself is not responsible for “delayed-onset muscle soreness” (or DOMS), which produces severe muscle tenderness after tough workouts.

Soreness, stiffness, loss of strength, and range of motion usually peak about one to three days after the extreme exercise takes place, but how intense these symptoms do not depend on how much lactic acid accumulates during exercise.

The exact reason that DOMS occurs is still being researched, but experts believe that an inflammatory-repair response taking place in your muscles is mostly to blame.

Muscle cell damage and elevated release of various metabolites surrounding muscle cells seem to be involved.

You can still work on preventing lactic acid buildup in order to improve your workout capacity and recovery.

Here are tips for keeping lactic acid levels in check:

1. Build Up Exercise Intensity Gradually

If you ramp up the intensity of your workouts too abruptly, you’ll pay for it by experiencing lots of muscle fatigue (among other symptoms within a couple of days’ time).

Give yourself time to build stamina and strength gradually without putting yourself at risk for injury or burnout.

You can also prevent overuse injuries by varying the types of workouts you do, the muscles you target, and the intensity of the exercises you perform.

Ideally split your weekly workouts into different types: those that are more aerobic in nature (cardio workouts) and those that build strength.

How do you know if you’re working at an appropriate intensity? You can monitor your breathing and heart rate.

Practice effective breathing techniques, and also consider using a pulse oximeter during exercise.

If you feel you’re overexerting yourself, slow down and avoid short, shallow breaths, and instead focus on slowing your breathing.

2. Fuel with Proper Nutrition

Be sure to fuel your muscles and organs with the nutrients your body needs, including adequate complex carbs, proteins, and micronutrients from a variety of whole foods.

The best way to ensure you get enough calories and nutrients to support your fitness level is to eat a variety of foods, including protein sources, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, high-fiber foods like nuts and seeds, etc.

Foods that provide electrolytes, especially magnesium, and potassium, seem to be especially helpful for managing muscle fatigue during exercise.

This means that eating natural sources of these minerals is a good idea for anyone who’s active — such as nuts, legumes, leafy greens, potatoes, bananas, broccoli, natural orange juice, and dark cocoa.

Iron is another mineral that is helpful for fueling your body with oxygen.

• Iron-rich foods include:
• liver and organ meats
• grass-fed beef
• lentils
• leafy greens
• fish
• black beans
• nuts

Prior to a workout, and afterward, it can be helpful to eat a source of carbs and protein that your muscles will use for energy.

Examples include some fruit or oatmeal with yogurt or cottage cheese or a hard-boiled egg and a slice of sprouted grain bread.

3. Take “Rest Days”

Your body only has a chance to clear out lactate and other metabolites that have built up from tough workouts once you take the time to rest.

This is actually when your muscle tissue is repaired and you “grow back stronger.”

This means muscle recovery is an important piece of the fitness puzzle.

Even on rest days, you can do light exercises, such as walking, gentle yoga, or swimming.

But don’t push yourself to exercise at a high intensity if you’re already feeling sore and tired; listen to your body and take at least one or more days off to rest per week.

4. Stretch and Gentle Movement

Stretching before and after a workout supports performance and recovery in several ways, such as by increasing blood flow, improving flexibility, and also by mentally improving energy/focus.

Try dynamic stretches before exercise that involve moving your body (rather than holding deep stretches), which boosts circulation.

Following exercise, you can also use ice packs, get a massage, and take warm baths to increase circulation and help manage the soreness you may be feeling.

Prevent Dehydration

Make sure to drink enough water to prevent symptoms of dehydration and overheating, which can include fatigue, dizziness, and cramps. Aim for at least eight glasses per day or more if you’re active or in a very hot climate.

Risks and Side Effects

While high lactic acid levels in response to physical exertion should not pose a risk for otherwise healthy people, lactic acidosis can increase the risk of serious complications and even death in people who are already ill.

Always immediately seek medical help if you develop signs of lactic acidosis. If you have an existing health condition that puts you at risk, discuss intense exercise with your doctor before starting a new program.

Conclusion

Lactic acid/ lactate is an organic acid that builds in the body under certain circumstances, especially during strenuous exercise.

What does lactic acid do? It’s mostly produced in the muscles and red blood cells and leads to fatigue and soreness.

 It forms when the body breaks down carbohydrates to use for energy when oxygen levels are low.

The lactic acid in the body is produced by intense exercise, among other causes like infections, some diseases, certain medications, and even poisoning.

Experts consider the lactic acid normal range to be between 0.5–2.2 milli-equivalents per liter (mmol/L, or mEq/L ) when a venous blood sample is used.

If you’re wondering how to get rid of lactic acid? If exercise caused your levels to rise, they should drop down to normal levels with rest and time.

Other ways to manage levels include staying hydrated, stretching, taking enough rest days, and fueling with good nutrition. 

I hope you get the value worth your time. I appreciate the time you spend with me. Leave a comment if you like this post. Do you have any questions about this topic I didn’t touch on here? Feel free to share with me in the comment below.

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