{"id":27888,"date":"2026-11-03T21:33:51","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T20:33:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/lactic-acid-and-sports-should-you-swallow-lactate-in-gel-form\/"},"modified":"2026-11-04T14:06:44","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T13:06:44","slug":"lactic-acid-exercise-lactate-gels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/lactic-acid-exercise-lactate-gels\/","title":{"rendered":"Lactic acid and exercise: do lactate gels actually work?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You&#8217;re out on the bike or a long run with two glucose-fructose gels in your pocket, and since the summer you keep hearing about an ingredient they might be missing: lactate. Poga\u010dar&#8217;s team reportedly put it in their bottles at the 2026 Tour de France, and more lactate gels are on the way for runners. <strong>Lactate is an excellent fuel during exercise, but swallowing it has yet to prove anything for endurance.<\/strong> It replaces some of your carbs instead of adding to them, and the only effect properly measured in humans is a slight buffering effect, at high doses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The irony is worth a closer look: the molecule once blamed for burning legs and next-day soreness is now sold as a performance weapon. In my video, I go through more than a hundred studies to untangle the two stories. This article follows the same path, with the figures and sources, and flags one important detail at every step: who was studied, a human, a mouse or someone on a drip.<\/p>\n\n\n        <div class=\"dix-callout dix-callout--key\" role=\"note\">\n            <span class=\"dix-callout__icon dashicons dashicons-yes-alt\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n            <div class=\"dix-callout__body\">\n                                    <p class=\"dix-callout__title\">The short answer<\/p>\n                                <div class=\"dix-callout__content\"><p>Lactate isn&#8217;t a waste product: your muscles, heart and brain all burn it. Swallowed, it&#8217;s well absorbed, but it takes the place of some glucose, barely reaches your bloodstream, and hasn&#8217;t improved endurance in most published trials. A well-balanced glucose-fructose gel remains the best-supported option, and it already makes your body produce lactate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        \n\n\n<div class=\"dix-script\" id=\"dix-script-27887\" data-script-id=\"27887\" data-type=\"quiz\" data-subtype=\"\" data-config='{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;quiz&quot;,&quot;subtype&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;questions&quot;:[{&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Lactic acid is a waste product that accumulates in the muscle.&quot;,&quot;options&quot;:[{&quot;text&quot;:&quot;True&quot;,&quot;correct&quot;:false},{&quot;text&quot;:&quot;False&quot;,&quot;correct&quot;:true}],&quot;explanation&quot;:&quot;Your muscles primarily produce lactate, and this lactate serves as fuel: during exercise, most of what circulates in the blood is burned by the muscles, heart, and brain.&quot;},{&quot;text&quot;:&quot;The soreness the next day comes from the lactic acid left in the legs.&quot;,&quot;options&quot;:[{&quot;text&quot;:&quot;True&quot;,&quot;correct&quot;:false},{&quot;text&quot;:&quot;False&quot;,&quot;correct&quot;:true}],&quot;explanation&quot;:&quot;Blood lactate returns to its resting value within a few tens of minutes after exercise. Studies that have sought a link with soreness have not found it.&quot;},{&quot;text&quot;:&quot;A lactate gel significantly increases lactate in the blood.&quot;,&quot;options&quot;:[{&quot;text&quot;:&quot;True&quot;,&quot;correct&quot;:false},{&quot;text&quot;:&quot;False&quot;,&quot;correct&quot;:true}],&quot;explanation&quot;:&quot;In humans, ingested lactate hardly raises blood lactate levels, even at more than 25 g. The measured effects on the heart or brain were obtained through infusion.&quot;},{&quot;text&quot;:&quot;A glucose and fructose gel already makes your body produce lactate.&quot;,&quot;options&quot;:[{&quot;text&quot;:&quot;True&quot;,&quot;correct&quot;:true},{&quot;text&quot;:&quot;False&quot;,&quot;correct&quot;:false}],&quot;explanation&quot;:&quot;Part of the fructose is converted into lactate, which then nourishes the muscles. In a Swiss study, replacing part of the glucose with fructose increased lactate production by about 30%.&quot;}],&quot;scoring&quot;:null,&quot;results&quot;:{&quot;high&quot;:{&quot;minPercent&quot;:75,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;You already knew the myth was false&quot;,&quot;message&quot;:&quot;It remains to be seen what lactate is worth once ingested. The rest of the article addresses each promise.&quot;},&quot;medium&quot;:{&quot;minPercent&quot;:50,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Some misconceptions persist&quot;,&quot;message&quot;:&quot;Lactate has been wrongly accused for decades. Let\\u0027s see what we know today.&quot;},&quot;low&quot;:{&quot;minPercent&quot;:0,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;You are in good company&quot;,&quot;message&quot;:&quot;These ideas have long been taught. The studies presented below put things in their place.&quot;}},&quot;recommendations&quot;:null,&quot;keyPoints&quot;:[{&quot;icon&quot;:&quot;\\u26a1&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Lactate is a fuel, not a waste product.&quot;},{&quot;icon&quot;:&quot;\\ud83e\\uddea&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Acidity, not lactate, contributes to fatigue.&quot;},{&quot;icon&quot;:&quot;\\ud83c\\udf6c&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Fructose already makes lactate production occur.&quot;}],&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Lactic acid and sport: true or false?&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Four statements often heard on the sidelines. This quiz tests your knowledge, it does not replace any medical advice.&quot;,&quot;causes&quot;:null,&quot;diagnosticResults&quot;:null,&quot;intro&quot;:null}'><div class=\"dix-script__container quiz-container\"><div class=\"quiz__header\"><h3 class=\"dix-script__title\">Lactic acid and sport: true or false?<\/h3><div class=\"quiz__progress-wrapper\"><div class=\"quiz__progress-text\"><span class=\"quiz__progress-current\">1<\/span> \/ 4<\/div><div class=\"dix-script__progress\"><div class=\"dix-script__progress-bar\" style=\"width: 0%\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"quiz__question\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe class=\"w-full h-auto aspect-video\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/V_FSPdZwCCU?rel=0\" title=\"Lactate Gels: Do They Actually Give You More Energy?, by Cyril Certain\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><figcaption>Cyril Certain&#8217;s video, published on 2 November 2026. Length: 17 min 31.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lactic acid or lactate: what your muscles really produce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lactic acid does exist, and you&#8217;ll find it in some gels. But there&#8217;s almost none of it in your body. During hard exercise, your muscles produce <strong>lactate<\/strong> and, alongside it, hydrogen ions, which are what make a liquid acidic. Even lactic acid that gets into the body splits almost entirely into lactate and hydrogen ions. So what&#8217;s circulating in your blood is lactate. Keep that detail in mind, because it matters when you read labels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the 1980s, American physiologist George Brooks showed that the lactate produced by a hard-working muscle doesn&#8217;t stay put. It moves into the blood, and other tissues take it up for energy. This is the <strong>lactate shuttle<\/strong>: one muscle makes it, another organ burns it as fuel. <a href=\"#source-1\">[1]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Measurements in humans proved him right. During sustained exercise, 75 to 80% of circulating lactate is burned, providing about a third of the energy that comes from carbohydrates. <a href=\"#source-2\">[2]<\/a> At 8 mmol\/L in the blood, it covers 24% of the brain&#8217;s energy needs. <a href=\"#source-3\">[3]<\/a> And in a Danish trial published in 2025 with eight healthy men, a lactate infusion increased cardiac output by about 1 litre per minute compared with a saline infusion. <a href=\"#source-4\">[4]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does lactic acid cause fatigue and sore muscles?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lactate itself doesn&#8217;t. What contributes to fatigue during hard efforts is the build-up of hydrogen ions, in other words acidity, especially in the fast-twitch fibres you use for sprints and explosive efforts. Lactate rises at the same time as this acidity, so it took the blame for decades. <a href=\"#source-5\">[5]<\/a> Saying acidity plays no part would be going too far the other way, though: it does contribute to that burn at the end of a climb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for next-day soreness, the few studies that looked for a link with lactate didn&#8217;t find one. <a href=\"#source-6\">[6]<\/a> That fits the physiology: after exercise, blood lactate is back to its resting level within a few tens of minutes, even faster with light active recovery. <a href=\"#source-28\">[28]<\/a> It&#8217;s long gone by the time the soreness shows up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lactate gels: where the promise comes from<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If lactate is such a good fuel, the next idea writes itself: swallow some. According to the cycling press, Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s team used a gel diluted in their bottles at the 2026 Tour, with 90 g of carbohydrates and 10 g of sodium lactate, developed with George Brooks himself and presented as the start of a new era in sports nutrition. Other lactate gels followed, for cycling and running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reasoning is clever, so it&#8217;s worth understanding. Carbohydrates cross the gut wall through transporters, proteins that let one specific molecule through, each with a maximum flow rate. That&#8217;s why gels combine glucose and fructose: two transporters work at the same time, and trained athletes get up to 90 g of carbs an hour, sometimes more. <a href=\"#source-7\">[7]<\/a> Lactate uses different transporters. On paper, then, you could add it on top of your carbs without any competition. Brands then add energy available within 15 minutes, lower acidity and, in animals, effects on mitochondria and the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lactate gel claims vs the studies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An extra fuel that&#8217;s faster and lowers acidity: that would be the perfect endurance supplement. Here&#8217;s what&#8217;s left of each promise once you look at the measurements.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"dix-script\" id=\"dix-script-27895\" data-script-id=\"27895\" data-type=\"custom\" data-subtype=\"\" data-config='{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;custom&quot;,&quot;subtype&quot;:&quot;&quot;}'><div class=\"dix-script__container\"><div class=\"dix-script__container dix-script__container--boxed lac-prom\">\n<h3 class=\"dix-script__title\">Five lactate gel claims vs the studies<\/h3>\n<p class=\"dix-script__description\">Choose a claim to see what was measured, and in whom.<\/p>\n<div class=\"chart__sort-buttons flex-wrap gap-2 mb-4\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Choose a promise\">\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"chart__sort-btn\" data-prom=\"energie\" aria-pressed=\"false\">\u26fd More energy<\/button>\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"chart__sort-btn\" data-prom=\"vitesse\" aria-pressed=\"false\">\u23f1\ufe0f In 15 minutes<\/button>\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"chart__sort-btn\" data-prom=\"organes\" aria-pressed=\"false\">\u2764\ufe0f Heart and brain<\/button>\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"chart__sort-btn\" data-prom=\"endurance\" aria-pressed=\"false\">\ud83d\udeb4 Endurance<\/button>\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"chart__sort-btn\" data-prom=\"acidite\" aria-pressed=\"false\">\ud83e\uddea Less acidity<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"dix-script__card\" data-panel=\"energie\"><p class=\"lac-prom__verdict lac-prom__verdict--non\">Not demonstrated: it replaces carbs, it does not add to them<\/p><h4 class=\"dix-script__card-value\">\"A fuel that adds to carbohydrates\"<\/h4><p>Swallowed lactate is indeed burned, in the same proportion as glucose (45% versus 48%). But with 25 g of lactate and 75 g of glucose, the total burned in 2 hours was the same as with 100 g of glucose alone. No one has tested lactate added to 90 or 120 g of carbohydrates per hour.<\/p><p class=\"dix-script__note dix-script__note--info\">Measured in 6 trained men, with a tracer (P\u00e9ronnet 1997).<\/p><\/section>\n<section class=\"dix-script__card\" data-panel=\"vitesse\"><p class=\"lac-prom__verdict lac-prom__verdict--non\">Not demonstrated<\/p><h4 class=\"dix-script__card-value\">\"Available in 15 minutes, three times faster than glucose\"<\/h4><p>In the Montreal tracer study, very little lactate is burned during the first half-hour. The 15-minute figure recalls a study of 6 cyclists, funded by the manufacturer of a lactate drink, which followed a small amount of tracer and not a dose of several grams.<\/p><p class=\"dix-script__note dix-script__note--warning\">A tracer appearance speed is not available energy for running.<\/p><\/section>\n<section class=\"dix-script__card\" data-panel=\"organes\"><p class=\"lac-prom__verdict lac-prom__verdict--non\">True by infusion, not with a gel<\/p><h4 class=\"dix-script__card-value\">\"It nourishes the heart and brain\"<\/h4><p>When lactate rises in the blood, the brain draws up to a quarter of its energy from it and the heart pumps about 1 litre more blood per minute. These effects have been obtained by infusion or during exercise. Swallowed, lactate hardly raises blood lactate.<\/p><p class=\"dix-script__note dix-script__note--info\">Infusions in healthy adults (Koep 2025, Berg-Hansen 2025).<\/p><\/section>\n<section class=\"dix-script__card\" data-panel=\"endurance\"><p class=\"lac-prom__verdict lac-prom__verdict--non\">No improvement in most trials<\/p><h4 class=\"dix-script__card-value\">\"It improves performance\"<\/h4><p>A pilot trial of 15 athletes finds +4% power over 20 minutes, with funding from the manufacturer. Over 20 km, over 40 km, and over more than 2 hours of high-dose intervals, no difference. No study has been published on gels launched in 2026.<\/p><p class=\"dix-script__note dix-script__note--warning\">The only gain has not been confirmed by an independent team.<\/p><\/section>\n<section class=\"dix-script__card\" data-panel=\"acidite\"><p class=\"lac-prom__verdict lac-prom__verdict--oui\">True, but slight and at high dose<\/p><h4 class=\"dix-script__card-value\">\"It reduces acidity\"<\/h4><p>A lactate salt is partly transformed into bicarbonate. It takes about 120 mg per kilo, or 8 to 9 g for 70 kg, taken an hour to an hour and a half before exercise, to gain about 1 to 2.5 mmol\/L of bicarbonate. The most effective buffers often add more than 4.<\/p><p class=\"dix-script__note dix-script__note--warning\">Lactic acid, on the other hand, brings acidity: it buffers nothing.<\/p><\/section>\n<p class=\"chart__scale-note\">Qualitative comparison, without effectiveness rating. Studies are referenced in the article.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">It&#8217;s well burned, but it replaces glucose<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The key study dates back to 1997. At the University of Montreal, six trained men cycled for two hours while drinking 25 g of lactate and 75 g of glucose, each labelled with a tracer that can be picked up in the breath. Result: 45% of the swallowed lactate was burned, compared with 48% of the glucose. So lactate does work as a fuel. <a href=\"#source-8\">[8]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same team compared this mix with 100 g of glucose alone. And that&#8217;s where the promise deflates.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"dix-script\" id=\"dix-script-27907\" data-script-id=\"27907\" data-type=\"custom\" data-subtype=\"\" data-config='{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;custom&quot;,&quot;subtype&quot;:&quot;&quot;}'><div class=\"dix-script__container\"><div class=\"dix-script__title dix-script__title--center\" data-el=\"title\"><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"chart__state chart__state--good lac-etude__head\" data-el=\"head\">\n    <span class=\"chart__state-icon\" data-el=\"head-emoji\">\u26fd<\/span>\n    <span data-el=\"head-name\"><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"chart__histogram lac-etude__histo\" data-el=\"histogram\">\n    <div class=\"chart__y-label\" data-el=\"y-label\"><\/div>\n    <div class=\"chart__y-axis\" data-el=\"y-axis\"><\/div>\n    <div class=\"chart__grid-lines\" data-el=\"grid-lines\"><\/div>\n    <div class=\"chart__bars-area\">\n        <div class=\"chart__bars\" data-el=\"bars\"><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"chart__bar-labels\" data-el=\"labels\"><\/div>\n    <div class=\"chart__tooltip\" data-el=\"tooltip\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"chart__scale-note\" data-el=\"scale-note\"><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"dix-script__note dix-script__note--info\" data-el=\"note\"><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"dix-script__hidden\">\n<span data-t=\"title\">With or without lactate, the same fuel burned<\/span><span data-t=\"head-name\">47.3 g versus 50.9 g: no significant difference<\/span><span data-t=\"y-label\">Carbohydrates and lactate ingested then burned in 2 h (g)<\/span>\n<span data-t=\"scale-note\">6 trained men, 2 hours of cycling at about 65% of their VO2max, 1 litre of drink. Lactate provided only 2.6% of the energy.<\/span>\n<span data-t=\"note\">Lactate replaced part of the glucose instead of adding to it. About half of the participants experienced mild diarrhoea in the evening. Source: P\u00e9ronnet et al., 1997, DOI 10.1152\/jappl.1997.82.2.440.<\/span>\n<span data-t=\"lab-mix\">25 g lactate + 75 g glucose<\/span><span data-t=\"lab-glu\">100 g glucose<\/span><span data-t=\"tt-mix\">11.1 g of lactate and 36.3 g of ingested glucose were burned, measured by carbon 13 tracer.<\/span><span data-t=\"tt-glu\">50.9 g of ingested glucose burned in the comparison trial, without lactate.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You didn&#8217;t burn more fuel, you burned a different one. The reason lies in the stomach: the drink couldn&#8217;t hold more lactate without causing digestive problems, and the authors name the high concentration of lactate salts as the main drawback. As for energy &#8220;within 15 minutes&#8221;, there&#8217;s no sign of it here: very little lactate was burned in the first half-hour. The figure resembles one from a study of six cyclists funded by the maker of a lactate drink. <a href=\"#source-9\">[9]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And what about the famous ceiling of 90 g of carbs an hour, or more? No study has tested lactate on top of intakes that high. The 2026 gels haven&#8217;t published any data, only internal feedback from teams. On this specific point, nobody knows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your glucose-fructose gel already makes lactate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your liver turns some of the fructose into lactate, which then feeds your muscles. In a Swiss study of endurance athletes on 120 g of carbs an hour, swapping part of the glucose for fructose raised lactate production by about 30%. <a href=\"#source-10\">[10]<\/a> For a 70 kg athlete, that&#8217;s around ten grams of lactate an hour, roughly what a lactate gel provides, without the added salt. In short, your 2:1 gel is already something of a lactate gel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Swallowed lactate barely shows up in the blood<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the big surprise. In humans, swallowed lactate hardly raises blood lactate at all. Across five trials there was no increase, even with 25 to 38 g of sodium lactate in one go, sometimes at the cost of nausea or diarrhoea. <a href=\"#source-11\">[11]<\/a> At rest, 25 g of sodium lactate raised it by only about 1 mmol\/L, and slowed stomach emptying. <a href=\"#source-12\">[12]<\/a> The gut and liver probably use it before it reaches the rest of the body, but that&#8217;s a hypothesis, not a measurement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So the brain and heart effects mentioned earlier are real, but they were seen when lactate rises in the blood, during exercise or through a drip. Neither has been shown with a gel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">And endurance performance?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 2024 study of 15 recreational athletes found 4% more power in a 20-minute time trial (204 versus 197 watts) with about 1.4 g of lactate in capsules. The result is significant. So are its limits: it&#8217;s a pilot study, 11 participants went faster and 4 went slower, VO2max and thresholds didn&#8217;t change, and the manufacturer funded it. <a href=\"#source-13\">[13]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The other trials came up empty: no difference over 20 km <a href=\"#source-14\">[14]<\/a>, or over 40 km <a href=\"#source-15\">[15]<\/a>. In the most robust trial, trained cyclists did more than two hours of intervals on a dose about six times higher, with no performance gain and with digestive problems that got worse as the session went on. <a href=\"#source-16\">[16]<\/a> For endurance, most published studies show no improvement, and the one gain hasn&#8217;t been confirmed by an independent team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The buffering effect: the only benefit measured in humans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In these high-dose trials, one number changes almost every time: bicarbonate. It&#8217;s the molecule in your blood that neutralises acidity, what&#8217;s known as a buffer. When you swallow a lactate salt, your body converts part of it into bicarbonate. So on this point, the promise does have a basis in fact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It all comes down to dose. You need about 120 mg per kilo, or 8 to 9 g of lactate at 70 kg, taken an hour to an hour and a half before exercise. Blood bicarbonate then goes up by about 1 to 2.5 mmol\/L, from a starting point of around 25. <a href=\"#source-16\">[16]<\/a><a href=\"#source-17\">[17]<\/a> With commercial capsules at around one gram, nothing changes. In one lab, athletes lasted up to 17% longer before exhaustion on efforts of a few minutes. That lab was funded by a sports drink brand&#8217;s research institute, and independent teams testing the same dose on other efforts didn&#8217;t find the gain. <a href=\"#source-17\">[17]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For some perspective, a meta-analysis pulled together 189 papers on buffering agents in sport, including 7 on lactate. Effects on performance become clearer when bicarbonate rises by at least 4 mmol\/L, which sodium bicarbonate often achieves. Lactate stays below that. <a href=\"#source-18\">[18]<\/a> And in infusion studies, part of the effect comes from the sodium that travels with the lactate. <a href=\"#source-19\">[19]<\/a> If muscle acidity is what interests you, <a href=\"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/what-is-beta-alanine\/\">beta-alanine<\/a> works through a different route: it raises carnosine, a buffer stored in the muscle itself, over several weeks of daily use.<\/p>\n\n\n        <div class=\"dix-callout dix-callout--warning\" role=\"note\">\n            <span class=\"dix-callout__icon dashicons dashicons-warning\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n            <div class=\"dix-callout__body\">\n                                    <p class=\"dix-callout__title\">Lactic acid or lactate salt: not the same thing<\/p>\n                                <div class=\"dix-callout__content\"><p>To reduce acidity, you need a lactate salt, such as sodium or calcium lactate. Yet according to their ingredient lists, two of the three lactate gels launched in 2026 contain lactic acid. That brings along the very hydrogen ions you&#8217;re trying to neutralise, so it buffers nothing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        \n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The leads from mouse studies: muscle, memory, mitochondria<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are the most tempting promises, and they don&#8217;t come from nowhere. In mice, swallowed lactate increased muscle mass in one lab <a href=\"#source-20\">[20]<\/a>, and a second lab saw heavier muscles when it was given after training <a href=\"#source-21\">[21]<\/a>. Added to exercise, it improved memory <a href=\"#source-22\">[22]<\/a>. On mitochondria, it activates certain enzymes, with results that vary from one study to the next. <a href=\"#source-23\">[23]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two caveats. These mice got the equivalent of 6 to 17 g of lactate a day for a 70 kg human, and unlike us, their blood lactate rose sharply. In humans, nobody has tried it yet. It&#8217;s a real research lead, not yet a reason to put it in your bottle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What nobody prints on the packet<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"dix-script\" id=\"dix-script-27915\" data-script-id=\"27915\" data-type=\"custom\" data-subtype=\"\" data-config='{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;custom&quot;,&quot;subtype&quot;:&quot;&quot;}'><div class=\"dix-script__container\"><div class=\"lac-reperes\"><h3 class=\"lac-reperes__title\">What a lactate gel packet doesn't tell you<\/h3><p class=\"lac-reperes__sub\">Four points to check before slipping one into your bottle.<\/p><div class=\"lac-reperes__steps\">\n<div class=\"lac-reperes__step\"><div class=\"lac-reperes__ic\">\ud83e\uddc2<\/div><div class=\"lac-reperes__k\">Sodium<\/div><div class=\"lac-reperes__v\">10 g of sodium lactate provide about 2 g of sodium<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"lac-reperes__step\"><div class=\"lac-reperes__ic\">\ud83d\udd00<\/div><div class=\"lac-reperes__k\">L or D form<\/div><div class=\"lac-reperes__v\">rarely indicated, and the label can be wrong<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"lac-reperes__step\"><div class=\"lac-reperes__ic\">\ud83d\udcc4<\/div><div class=\"lac-reperes__k\">Studies<\/div><div class=\"lac-reperes__v\">none published on gels launched in 2026<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"lac-reperes__step\"><div class=\"lac-reperes__ic\">\u2696\ufe0f<\/div><div class=\"lac-reperes__k\">Claims<\/div><div class=\"lac-reperes__v\">none authorised for lactate in the EU or Great Britain<\/div><\/div><\/div><p class=\"lac-reperes__foot\">The details and sources of each point are listed just below.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sodium.<\/strong> The &#8220;10 g of lactate&#8221; in the Tour gel is 10 g of sodium lactate, which works out at about 8 g of lactate and more than 2,000 mg of sodium per sachet. That&#8217;s roughly 5 g of salt, when the NHS limit for adults is 6 g a day. On a long, sweaty effort in the heat, that salt can be useful. The rest of the time, it&#8217;s something to keep an eye on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The L or D form.<\/strong> Lactate comes in two forms with the same formula, arranged differently in space. Your body makes the L form. The D form is cleared more slowly <a href=\"#source-24\">[24]<\/a> and can become toxic, mainly in people with intestinal disease. In healthy people, no harmful effects have been reported at the doses studied. None of the three gels says which form it uses, and even labels can mislead: in 2026, a sodium lactate sold as half D and half L turned out on analysis to contain almost only the L form. <a href=\"#source-25\">[25]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The patent.<\/strong> George Brooks, who co-developed the Tour gel, is a co-inventor on a US patent granted in 2024 covering lactate formulations for athletes. <a href=\"#source-26\">[26]<\/a> His work on the lactate shuttle remains solid. It&#8217;s the jump from &#8220;lactate is a good fuel&#8221; to &#8220;you need to swallow it&#8221; that his studies haven&#8217;t demonstrated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The claims.<\/strong> No health claim for lactate is authorised in the EU, and none appears on Great Britain&#8217;s own post-Brexit register either. So no brand can legally say it improves performance. <a href=\"#source-27\">[27]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Should you take a lactate gel?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right now, nothing justifies it for endurance. Lactate is a first-rate fuel for your muscles, heart and brain, that much is established. Swallowed, it&#8217;s absorbed and burned, but it replaces some of your glucose, barely shows up in the blood and doesn&#8217;t do any better in most trials. Its best-measured effect in humans, a slight buffering effect, takes 8 to 9 g before exercise and a stomach willing to cooperate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to hold up better on long sessions, a well-dosed glucose-fructose gel, tested in training before race day, remains the most proven option, and it already gets the lactate shuttle going. At DIX, we sell neither lactate nor gels. If the buffering effect interests you for hard efforts, our <a href=\"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/product\/buy-pre-workout\/\">Pre Workout<\/a> contains beta-alanine and electrolytes, with no promises for long-distance endurance. The Tour teams may well have data we don&#8217;t. If a real study comes out on these gels, we&#8217;ll revisit the topic.<\/p>\n\n\n        <div class=\"dix-faq\">\n                            <p class=\"dix-faq__title\">Your questions about lactic acid and exercise<\/p>\n                                <details class=\"dix-faq__item\">\n            <summary class=\"dix-faq__question\">How do you get rid of lactic acid after exercise?<\/summary>\n            <div class=\"dix-faq__answer\"><p>You don&#8217;t need to do anything special. Lactate gets recycled as fuel and returns to its resting level within a few tens of minutes after exercise. Light active recovery, like easy cycling or jogging, speeds this up. There&#8217;s no need for a product to &#8220;flush out&#8221; lactic acid: your body takes care of it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n        <\/details>\n                <details class=\"dix-faq__item\">\n            <summary class=\"dix-faq__question\">Why does lactic acid burn during exercise?<\/summary>\n            <div class=\"dix-faq__answer\"><p>It isn&#8217;t the lactate that hurts. The burning feeling during hard efforts is linked to the build-up of hydrogen ions, so to acidity, and to other changes in the working muscle. Lactate rises at the same time, hence the confusion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n        <\/details>\n                <details class=\"dix-faq__item\">\n            <summary class=\"dix-faq__question\">Is sodium lactate dangerous?<\/summary>\n            <div class=\"dix-faq__answer\"><p>At the doses tested in healthy adults, the reported side effects are mainly digestive: nausea, bloating and diarrhoea, more common above 0.3 g per kilo. It also delivers a lot of sodium, about 2 g for 10 g of sodium lactate. If you have high blood pressure, or kidney or bowel disease, get medical advice before taking it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n        <\/details>\n                <details class=\"dix-faq__item\">\n            <summary class=\"dix-faq__question\">Can lactate replace sodium bicarbonate?<\/summary>\n            <div class=\"dix-faq__answer\"><p>Nothing shows that it can. Sodium bicarbonate raises blood bicarbonate more and has been studied far more. Lactate hasn&#8217;t shown any advantage over it, and both can cause digestive trouble at effective doses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n        <\/details>\n                <details class=\"dix-faq__item\">\n            <summary class=\"dix-faq__question\">How many carbs per hour for endurance?<\/summary>\n            <div class=\"dix-faq__answer\"><p>On long efforts, trained athletes can take up to 90 g an hour, sometimes more, by combining glucose and fructose. Practise these amounts in training: your gut gets used to them gradually, and trying an unfamiliar gel on race day is a bad idea.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n        <\/details>\n                <\/div>\n        <script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How do you get rid of lactic acid after exercise?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"You don&#8217;t need to do anything special. Lactate gets recycled as fuel and returns to its resting level within a few tens of minutes after exercise. Light active recovery, like easy cycling or jogging, speeds this up. There&#8217;s no need for a product to &#8220;flush out&#8221; lactic acid: your body takes care of it.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why does lactic acid burn during exercise?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"It isn&#8217;t the lactate that hurts. The burning feeling during hard efforts is linked to the build-up of hydrogen ions, so to acidity, and to other changes in the working muscle. Lactate rises at the same time, hence the confusion.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Is sodium lactate dangerous?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"At the doses tested in healthy adults, the reported side effects are mainly digestive: nausea, bloating and diarrhoea, more common above 0.3 g per kilo. It also delivers a lot of sodium, about 2 g for 10 g of sodium lactate. If you have high blood pressure, or kidney or bowel disease, get medical advice before taking it.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Can lactate replace sodium bicarbonate?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Nothing shows that it can. Sodium bicarbonate raises blood bicarbonate more and has been studied far more. Lactate hasn&#8217;t shown any advantage over it, and both can cause digestive trouble at effective doses.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many carbs per hour for endurance?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"On long efforts, trained athletes can take up to 90 g an hour, sometimes more, by combining glucose and fructose. Practise these amounts in training: your gut gets used to them gradually, and trying an unfamiliar gel on race day is a bad idea.\"}}]}<\/script>        \n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">To go further<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sore muscles and acidity are where this topic meets your training. These two articles cover them in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"dix-article-grid dix-article-grid--card dix-article-grid--multi\">        <article class=\"dix-article dix-article--card\">\n            <div class=\"dix-article__body\">\n                                    <a class=\"dix-article__media\" href=\"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/magnesium-muscle-soreness\/\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/magnesium-courbature-400x400.webp\" class=\"dix-article__img wp-post-image\" alt=\"Magnesium and muscle soreness\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/magnesium-courbature-400x400.webp 400w, https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/magnesium-courbature-100x100.webp 100w, https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/magnesium-courbature-150x150.webp 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>                                            <\/a>\n                                <div class=\"dix-article__info\">\n                    <span class=\"dix-article__type\">Article<\/span>\n                    <h3 class=\"dix-article__name\">\n                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/magnesium-muscle-soreness\/\">Magnesium and muscle soreness<\/a>\n                                            <\/h3>\n                                            <p class=\"dix-article__excerpt\">If you&#039;re an athlete, you know the importance of recovery and the frustration of muscle soreness that limits your performance. In this comprehensive article based on\u2026<\/p>\n                                                                                    <div class=\"dix-article__action\">\n                            <a class=\"btn btn--secondary dix-article__btn\" href=\"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/magnesium-muscle-soreness\/\">Lire la suite<\/a>                        <\/div>\n                                    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                    <\/article>\n                <article class=\"dix-article dix-article--card\">\n            <div class=\"dix-article__body\">\n                                    <a class=\"dix-article__media\" href=\"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/what-is-beta-alanine\/\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/qu-est-ce-que-la-beta-alanine-400x400.jpg\" class=\"dix-article__img wp-post-image\" alt=\"What is Beta Alanine?\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/qu-est-ce-que-la-beta-alanine-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/qu-est-ce-que-la-beta-alanine-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/qu-est-ce-que-la-beta-alanine-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>                                            <\/a>\n                                <div class=\"dix-article__info\">\n                    <span class=\"dix-article__type\">Article<\/span>\n                    <h3 class=\"dix-article__name\">\n                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/what-is-beta-alanine\/\">What is Beta Alanine?<\/a>\n                                            <\/h3>\n                                            <p class=\"dix-article__excerpt\">Have you ever wondered how to naturally boost your sports performance, delay muscle fatigue, and perhaps even improve your long-term health? The answer might lie in\u2026<\/p>\n                                                                                    <div class=\"dix-article__action\">\n                            <a class=\"btn btn--secondary dix-article__btn\" href=\"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/what-is-beta-alanine\/\">Lire la suite<\/a>                        <\/div>\n                                    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                    <\/article>\n        <\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sources and studies cited<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li id=\"source-1\">Brooks GA. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.cmet.2018.03.008\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Science and Translation of Lactate Shuttle Theory<\/a>. Cell Metabolism, 2018. Review.<\/li><li id=\"source-2\">Emhoff CA et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1152\/japplphysiol.01202.2012\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gluconeogenesis and hepatic glycogenolysis during exercise at the lactate threshold<\/a>. Journal of Applied Physiology, 2013. Human, tracers.<\/li><li id=\"source-3\">Koep JL et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1113\/JP289216\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Preferential lactate metabolism in the human brain during exogenous and endogenous hyperlactataemia<\/a>. Journal of Physiology, 2025. 13 adults, infusion and effort.<\/li><li id=\"source-4\">Berg-Hansen K et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s13054-025-05259-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cardiovascular effects of lactate in healthy adults<\/a>. Critical Care, 2025. 8 men, compared with a saline infusion.<\/li><li id=\"source-5\">Cairns SP et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s00421-025-05750-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lactic acidosis: implications for human exercise performance<\/a>. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2025. Review.<\/li><li id=\"source-6\">Schwane JA et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/00913847.1983.11708485\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Is Lactic Acid Related to Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness?<\/a> The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 1983.<\/li><li id=\"source-7\">Jeukendrup AE. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/MCO.0b013e328339de9f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Carbohydrate and exercise performance: the role of multiple transportable carbohydrates<\/a>. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 2010. Review.<\/li><li id=\"source-8\">P\u00e9ronnet F et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1152\/jappl.1997.82.2.440\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Respective oxidation of 13C-labeled lactate and glucose ingested simultaneously during exercise<\/a>. Journal of Applied Physiology, 1997. 6 men, tracers.<\/li><li id=\"source-9\">Azevedo JL et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0000927\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lactate, Fructose and Glucose Oxidation Profiles in Sports Drinks and the Effect on Exercise Performance<\/a>. PLoS One, 2007. 6 cyclists, study funded by the beverage manufacturer.<\/li><li id=\"source-10\">Lecoultre V et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3945\/ajcn.2010.29566\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fructose and glucose co-ingestion during prolonged exercise increases lactate and glucose fluxes and oxidation<\/a>. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010. 7 endurance athletes, tracers.<\/li><li id=\"source-11\">McCarthy DG et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1152\/japplphysiol.00536.2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oral sodium lactate ingestion does not increase blood lactate concentrations<\/a>. Journal of Applied Physiology, 2024. Consistent results in trials from sources 13, 15 and 16.<\/li><li id=\"source-12\">Pedersen MGB et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.clnu.2021.12.032\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oral lactate slows gastric emptying and suppresses appetite in young males<\/a>. Clinical Nutrition, 2022.<\/li><li id=\"source-13\">Ewell TR et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/nu16162624\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Influence of Acute Oral Lactate Supplementation on Responses to Cycle Ergometer Exercise<\/a>. Nutrients, 2024. Pilot study, 15 participants, funded by the manufacturer.<\/li><li id=\"source-14\">Peveler WW and Palmer TG. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1519\/JSC.0b013e31822dcd7f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Effect of Magnesium Lactate Dihydrate and Calcium Lactate Monohydrate on 20-km Cycling Time Trial Performance<\/a>. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2012.<\/li><li id=\"source-15\">Northgraves MJ et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1519\/JSC.0b013e3182986a4c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Effect of Lactate Supplementation and Sodium Bicarbonate on 40-km Cycling Time Trial Performance<\/a>. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2014.<\/li><li id=\"source-16\">Bordoli C et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jfmk9030139\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Effects of Oral Lactate Supplementation on Acid\u2013Base Balance and Prolonged High-Intensity Interval Cycling Performance<\/a>. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 2024.<\/li><li id=\"source-17\">Morris DM et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1123\/ijsnem.21.4.311\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Effects of Lactate Consumption on Blood Bicarbonate Levels and Performance During High-Intensity Exercise<\/a>. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2011. Industrial funding.<\/li><li id=\"source-18\">de Oliveira LF et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s40279-021-01575-x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Extracellular Buffering Supplements to Improve Exercise Capacity and Performance: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-analysis<\/a>. Sports Medicine, 2022.<\/li><li id=\"source-19\">Miller BF et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1152\/japplphysiol.00753.2004\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hematological and acid-base changes in men during prolonged exercise with and without sodium-lactate infusion<\/a>. Journal of Applied Physiology, 2005.<\/li><li id=\"source-20\">Ohno Y et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/nu11040869\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lactate Stimulates a Potential for Hypertrophy and Regeneration of Mouse Skeletal Muscle<\/a>. Nutrients, 2019. Mouse.<\/li><li id=\"source-21\">Kyun S et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.14814\/phy2.15952\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lactate administration induces skeletal muscle synthesis by influencing Akt\/mTOR and MuRF1 in non-trained mice but not in trained mice<\/a>. Physiological Reports, 2024. Mice.<\/li><li id=\"source-22\">Hwang D et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41598-023-33017-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Exogenous lactate augments exercise-induced improvement in memory but not in hippocampal neurogenesis<\/a>. Scientific Reports, 2023. Mice.<\/li><li id=\"source-23\">Jang I et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/metabo14040220\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chronic Administration of Exogenous Lactate Increases Energy Expenditure during Exercise through Activation of Skeletal Muscle Energy Utilization Capacity in Mice<\/a>. Metabolites, 2024. Mice.<\/li><li id=\"source-24\">Connor H et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1159\/000176723\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Comparison of the Kinetics and Utilisation of D(-)- and L(+)-Sodium Lactate in Normal Man<\/a>. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 1983.<\/li><li id=\"source-25\">Pedersen et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s13054-026-05992-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Not racemic after all: stereochemical composition of a commercially available sodium lactate solution<\/a>. Critical Care, 2026.<\/li><li id=\"source-26\">Patent <a href=\"https:\/\/patents.google.com\/patent\/US12023382B2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">US 12,023,382 B2<\/a>, lactate formulations for athletes, granted in 2024.<\/li><li id=\"source-27\">Regulation (EU) No 432\/2012 <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/eli\/reg\/2012\/432\/oj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">establishing a list of permitted health claims<\/a>, and its updates, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/great-britain-nutrition-and-health-claims-nhc-register\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Great Britain nutrition and health claims register<\/a>.<\/li><li id=\"source-28\">Menzies P et al. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/02640414.2010.481721\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Blood lactate clearance during active recovery after an intense running bout depends on the intensity of the active recovery<\/a>. Journal of Sports Sciences, 2010.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><small>Article based on Cyril Certain&#8217;s video, with a full review of the studies cited. This content is for information only and does not replace advice from a healthcare professional.<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lactate isn&#8217;t a waste product, it&#8217;s a fuel. But do the lactate gels from the 2026 Tour de France live up to the hype? What the studies in humans actually show.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":27898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_dix_linked_products":"","_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":true,"rank_math_title":"Lactic acid and exercise: do lactate gels work? | DIX","rank_math_description":"Lactic acid doesn't cause fatigue or soreness. So do the lactate gels from the 2026 Tour de France give you more energy? What the studies actually show.","rank_math_canonical_url":"","rank_math_robots":"","rank_math_focus_keyword":"lactic acid,lactic acid exercise,lactic acid build up,lactate gel,sodium lactate"},"categories":[950],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy-performance"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/lactate-gels-worth-it-thumbnail.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27888"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27999,"href":"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27888\/revisions\/27999"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dixsupps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}