1 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: Everybody, Welcome to another edition of Wisdom Wednesdays, and today 2 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: I want to talk about a topic that is generally 3 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,079 Speaker 1: a bit of a turnoff for people or certainly evokes 4 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 1: bad memories, and that is lactic acid, and I want 5 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 1: to talk about why it's important that we actually reframe 6 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: our relationship with it. So if you've been an exerciser 7 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 1: at all, you will know the sensation of lactic acid. 8 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 1: It's when you get that heavy feeling in your arms 9 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:42,959 Speaker 1: and your legs when you're exercising intensely, and it can 10 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 1: make you feel sick and your brain says to you, 11 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 1: why are we doing this shit? 12 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 2: We can just stop right here right now. 13 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:56,279 Speaker 1: Now, it turns out that that discomfort actually comes with 14 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: lots of benefits. 15 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:00,639 Speaker 2: So you thinking used to. 16 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: Be, certainly when I was doing my masters in Sports 17 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: Times twenty five years ago, that lactic acid was a 18 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: bit of a byproduct of muscular contraction, and it was 19 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 1: a thought of as a bit of a waste product. 20 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: But what now We know that that is absolutely not 21 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: the case. And it turns out that lactate, which is 22 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:23,840 Speaker 1: what we actually call it now, not lactic acid, but 23 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: lactate isn't a waste product. 24 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 2: It is an absolute powerhouse. 25 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: It turns out that the nasty thing that we all 26 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 1: dislike is the hydrogen ion that is created from those 27 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 1: muscular contractions, but lactate and I think we now need 28 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: to look at in a different light. 29 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 2: And I'm going to just. 30 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: Explore three really important ways that lactiate benefits our body 31 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:54,560 Speaker 1: and our mind, and then how we can harness its potential. 32 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:58,680 Speaker 1: So firstly, is that we now know that lactate, far 33 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: from being a waste product, does it said, is actually 34 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: a really valuable fuel source for lots of your organs. 35 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 1: So your body just doesn't get energy from glucose or fat. 36 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: Turns out that lactate is another key player. Now, after 37 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:18,040 Speaker 1: lactate is produced in your muscles during intense exercise, it 38 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: actually is recycled as an energy source for vital organs 39 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: such as your heart, your brain, and your liver. And 40 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 1: the heart in particular thrives on lactate during periods of exertion. 41 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: So instead of shunning it, your body actually uses lactate 42 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: as a high efficiency fuel. It's like having a hybrid 43 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 1: engine that can switch fuel types to keep going when 44 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: the road gets tough. And for athletes, or just exercises. 45 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: This means better endurance and it really highlights the importance 46 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 1: of generating lactate regularly to keep our internal systems running 47 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 1: really smoothly and be able to react whenever they need to. 48 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: That's the key thing. 49 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 2: Now. 50 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: The second one is lackdate and brain health, and this 51 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 1: is where things get really fascinating. So lacked it doesn't 52 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: just fuel muscles, it also fuels your brain and when 53 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,920 Speaker 1: it crosses the blood brain barrier, not only does it 54 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: act as a fuel source, but it also triggers the 55 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: release of a powerful growth factor called BDNF brain derived 56 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:32,919 Speaker 1: neurotropic factor, and neurotropic means nerve growth, So BDNF has 57 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 1: been called a fertilizer for the brain. It has been 58 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: known to promote the groups of new neurons and it 59 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: strengthens existing neurons and helps create connections and actually protects 60 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: your brain cells against damage. BDNF can also lead to 61 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: sharper memory, improve learning, and even better resilience against things 62 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 1: like mental health challenges like depression or traumatic brain injury. 63 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: We know that if two people are in a car 64 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 1: crash and they say stain a trump, an identical traumatic 65 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 1: brain injury if some person one of them had been 66 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: exercising earlier, and they would actually have less brain damage. 67 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: And what's more, studies show that exercises that generate high 68 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: levels of lactate, such as interval training, might boost these 69 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:25,800 Speaker 1: brand benefits by stimulating BDNF production. 70 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 2: And it's really a pretty cool example. 71 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: Of how your body and brain work together whenever they 72 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 1: are challenged. And the third thing I want to talk 73 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 1: about is lactate and mitochondrial biogenesis. Now this is quite timely, 74 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: having had the podcast with Christabel where we talked all 75 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:48,359 Speaker 1: about the mitochondria, so I think if you'd listen to 76 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 1: those you'd be a big fan of the mitochondria right now. 77 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: And it turns out that lactate produced from high intensity 78 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:03,239 Speaker 1: exercise activates a pathway involving what's called PGC one alpha. 79 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: So this is a really critical protein in the body 80 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:11,279 Speaker 1: that promotes mitochondria biogenesis. So in simpler terms, it helps 81 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: your body to produce more mitochondria and to make the 82 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: existing ones more efficient. Now why is that important. Well, 83 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: as we discussed with Crystabell, mitochondria are the powerhouses of 84 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:27,839 Speaker 1: the cell. They convert nutrients into energy, but not only 85 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: do they do that. We now know that mitochondria do 86 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 1: so much more than just energy production. They carry out 87 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:37,840 Speaker 1: lots of different cellular functions. And the more robust your 88 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:41,239 Speaker 1: mitochondria are, the better your energy levels, the better cellular 89 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:44,479 Speaker 1: rappower happens, and the better your overall health. And as 90 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 1: we discussed in the podcast Damag's, mitochondria play a critical 91 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: role in many many different diseases and conditions and it's 92 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 1: a key reason why athletes have such high energy outputs. 93 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: And my exercise is often called the ultimate antieging tool 94 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: is because of the impact of mitochondria biogenesis. Now we 95 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 1: know that zone two training lower intensity also can help 96 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:13,839 Speaker 1: stimulate that, but lactate seems to be a better driver 97 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:18,400 Speaker 1: of mitochondria biogenesis. So now that we've talked about those benefits, 98 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:21,040 Speaker 1: how do we generate it? Well, lots of people know 99 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:25,480 Speaker 1: it is about going intensely. So if you're thinking, let's 100 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:29,600 Speaker 1: just think of typical track and field and a sprint 101 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:33,480 Speaker 1: is almost exclusively ATPPC. 102 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:36,279 Speaker 2: That's that very fast energy production. 103 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 1: When people are running a marathon and most of their 104 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:44,159 Speaker 1: energy production comes from aerobic metabolism, not exclusively. None of 105 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 1: these are exclusive. But if you think of something like 106 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:51,960 Speaker 1: four hundred meters run that is just right in the 107 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 1: sweet spot for lactic acid. So anything that's kind of 108 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:59,880 Speaker 1: over that thirty to forty seconds of high intensity work 109 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: is really going to generate that, right, So that gives 110 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:06,240 Speaker 1: us a clear about things high intensity interval training, doing 111 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:10,480 Speaker 1: those short bursts of exercise anywhere from sort of thirty 112 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 1: seconds up to a few minutes followed by rest. That's 113 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:17,760 Speaker 1: a really good way to produce lactate and then to 114 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: recycle it. And we can do resistance training doing heavy 115 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: weights with reps until muscular fatigue, you'll feel that lacktate, 116 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:29,560 Speaker 1: and particularly doing things like drop sets and super sets 117 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: can really help with this social sort of thing. And 118 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 1: then doing circuit based training where you go from exercise 119 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:40,760 Speaker 1: to exercise or combining aerobic and anaerobic exercises or a 120 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: bit of resistance training and a bit of anaerobic stuff, 121 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: and that can really help you to produce that lactate. 122 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 2: And then any. 123 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 1: Sports specific stuff you don't think that things like football, AFL, rugby, basketball, tennis, 124 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 1: anything where you're doing those short little bursts of speed, 125 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 1: you're going to be producing lacked it, right, And so 126 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:05,840 Speaker 1: the next time that you're exercising and your brain asks 127 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: you why are we doing this shit, you can just 128 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:13,360 Speaker 1: have that long conversation with your brain about why it 129 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:16,600 Speaker 1: needs to actually suck it up and get on with it. 130 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,400 Speaker 1: That's it for this week, folks, Catch you next time.