A New ‘Super Fuel’ Is Being Used At The Tour de France. Can We Believe The Claims?

Drank sour beers middle of a ride, agree.

Just make it stop…

Important distinction: Lactate ≠ lactic acid. Dan used the terms interchangeably a couple times, but I forgive him. Lactic acid is not fuel, it is what accumulates in muscle tissue when a proper cool down is skipped. This is precisely why riders get on the trainer (or ride to the bus) after a race. Utilizing/mobilizing the remaining lactate so that it does convert to its acidic byproduct in muscle and make sore legs.

Lactate? ahahaha give me a break… what they are really doing is called M101

I will wait for the science to become established before I risk my health and diminish my pocket on the new greatest thing. All powerful drugs have powerful effects – plural – and most studies look diligently for beneficial OR detrimental effects, rarely both. It will take time, and thoughtful science, before I take this supplement/drug. Until then, I will wait with an open mind.

11:41 What a shame to confuse ketones and ketonal, Folks…

It would appear that things have changed with regard to brain metabolism dogma, since I last studied biochemistry. Lactate may be a bigger part of brain fuel than originally thought. I'm interested to see how this develops. I don't know how ingested lactate fares, though, compared to endogenous, locally produced lactate. Here are some papers and excerpts I found at PubMed.These papers are open access and the last one is very thought-provoking.

– Brain energy homeostasis: the evolution of the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle hypothesis
The astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle (ANLS) hypothesis has emerged as a fundamental framework explaining the metabolic cooperation between astrocytes and neurons, whereby astrocyte-derived lactate serves as a crucial energy substrate for neurons…Furthermore, we discuss lactate's emerging role as a signaling molecule in synaptic plasticity, memory formation, and neuroprotection, particularly in ischemic conditions where elevated lactate levels correlate with enhanced neuronal survival through prostaglandin E2-mediated vasodilation.

– Lactate as a myokine and exerkine: drivers and signals of physiology and metabolism
No longer viewed as a metabolic waste product and cause of muscle fatigue, a contemporary view incorporates the roles of lactate in metabolism, sensing and signaling in normal as well as pathophysiological conditions. Lactate exists in millimolar concentrations in muscle, blood, and other tissues and can rise more than an order of magnitude as the result of increased production and clearance limitations.

– A Bird's-Eye View of Glycolytic Upregulation in Activated Brain: The Major Fate of Lactate Is Release From Activated Tissue, Not Shuttling to Nearby Neurons
Glucose is the major, obligatory fuel for the brain, and nearly all glucose is oxidized in the awake, resting state. However, during activation, much of the glucose is not oxidized even though adequate oxygen is available, ATP demand is increased, and glycolysis generates less ATP than oxidation. The fate of the lactate produced by glycolysis is a highly debated topic, in part because its origin and fate in the living brain are difficult to measure….

– In the Brain, It Is Not All about Sugar
The maintenance of energetic homeostasis relies on a tight balance between glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. The case of the brain is a peculiar one, as although entailing a constant demand for energy, it is believed to rely mostly on glucose, particularly at the level of neurons. Nonetheless, this has been challenged by studies that show that alternatives such as lactate, ketone bodies, and glutamate can be used as fuels to sustain neuronal activity.

– The Feud over Lactate and Its Role in Brain Energy Metabolism: An Unnecessary Burden on Research and the Scientists Who Practice It
Lactate is the substrate of the mitochondrial TCA cycle, and whenever the active brain requires a substrate to produce ATP, the choice will be lactate over glucose if there is enough supply of the monocarboxylate. When that supply is diminished, glucose is hydrolyzed via the glycolytic pathway to renew it

3:46 Add blue is not a great analogy. It doesn’t make diesel efficient, it is a waste product, urea, that is used to absorb exhaust gas chemicals. It is also pointless as the waste it absorbs is still there to be dealt with later on…

The sport needs a whistleblower. It’s obvious the culture hasn’t changed and doping is common. The question is what is pog on. New wonder drug or has it gone down to the level of the bike itself.

Could this be clasiffied doping?

Just don’t make the same mistake as UAE and buy lactose gels

There’s a lot of “it could” and “I suspect” in this video. As someone with a Masters in Sports Science and a former elite triathlete, I’m all for hearing about potential leaps forward in sports nutrition. However, I think this is still very much in the experimental stages and shouldn’t be over-hyped just yet.

I used to pin a number on, not for long , but I had a go at it..I took various things at that time..some natural, some processed powders , all legal..I do wonder what effect long term these processed powders have on the digestive system ..any info to reassure long term users??

Pedal Pulse put a good video out about this too – worth a look – they do a deeper dive into the published science. Complements this GCN look at the topic.

Thanks, but no thanks. I'll be taking my lactate as yoghurt, and my ketones from my ketogenuc diet 🤣