Extraordinary high lactate threshold means legendary fitness status

[biophile]

Dean Karnazes is a freak of nature: He can run for three days and three nights and never get a cramp

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/de...ever-get-a-cramp/story-fneszs56-1226708065816

"So what's his secret? Scientists in Colorado who were mesmerised by Karnazes's running ability put him through a series of tests to find out. They discovered he possessed an extraordinary high lactate threshold - that's the body's ability to clear lactate from blood and convert it back into energy."

I thought this was interesting when considering ME/CFS and the low lactate threshold, the abnormal lactate production, and the associated struggle with exercise.

 

[aimossy]

like,like,like!

 

[alex3619]

Hmmm, I wonder which genes? Anyone up for genetic engineering? I could sure use more lactate tolerance.

 

[Valentijn]

Hmmm, I wonder which genes? Anyone up for genetic engineering? I could sure use more lactate tolerance.

Maybe we just need more limbs, so we can take turns using some of them while the others rest?

 

[Firestormm]

I wouldn't mind reading some more published science around lactate thresholds. Here's a little more about this chap:

While supreme willpower is a common trait among ultrarunners, Karnazes first realised that he was actually biologically different when preparing to run 50 marathons in 50 days across the US back in 2006. "I was sent to a testing center in Colorado," he recalls. "First, they performed an aerobic capacity test in which they found my results consistent with those of other highly trained athletes, but nothing extraordinary. Next, they performed a lactate threshold test. They said the test would take 15 minutes, tops. Finally, after an hour, they stopped the test. They said they'd never seen anything like this before."

As Laurent Messonnier from the University of Savoie explains, the difference is that your aerobic capacity is a measure of your cardiovascular system performance, while your lactate threshold is your ability to clear lactate from your blood and convert it back into energy.

"If you take a high-level runner and you train that guy for a long time, his cardiovascular system will improve until a certain point where it will be very difficult to improve it further, as it's determined by the heart and the blood vessels. So if you carry on training that guy, you will not improve his aerobic capacity but his performance will still improve, because the lactate threshold is not limited by the cardiovascular system – it's determined by the quality of the muscles."

Your body clears lactate from the blood via a series of chemical reactions driven by the mitochondria in your muscle cells. These reactions transform lactate back to glucose again and they are enhanced by specific enzymes. The clearance process also works more efficiently if your mitochondria have a larger capacity, increasing their ability to use lactate as a fuel.

Years of training will improve both your enzymes and mitochondria and so improve your clearance, but there is a limit to how much you can improve your lactate threshold by training alone. If you inherit these enzymes and a larger mass of mitochondria genetically, your personal limits will be far higher...

From The Guardian Blog 30 August 2013

Anyone think it's worth sending to Julia Newton for comment? Or would that be silly

 

[Sasha]

I wouldn't mind reading some more published science around lactate thresholds. Here's a little more about this chap:



Anyone think it's worth sending to Julia Newton for comment? Or would that be silly

Certainly send it - they've got a FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/ME-CFS-Research-Newcastle/526359017390431

 

[Artstu]

Years of training will improve both your enzymes and mitochondria and so improve your clearance, but there is a limit to how much you can improve your lactate threshold by training alone.

I've been pushing to increase my lactate threshold for years now, I make the biggest gains in the winter when the mitochondria is boosted by exposure to cold. I have a big decline in summer, so I'm now looking forward to some cold weather again.

 

[alex3619]

Maybe we just need more limbs, so we can take turns using some of them while the others rest?

Add in wings and a tail? How do we genetically engineer people to be eight legged, four armed, winged and tailed dragons?

Genetic engineering is not very successful in humans. We can possibly engineer future generations, but probably not grown adults, at least with current technology. However it might be possible to support the pathways leading to higher lactate tolerance if we can find ways to signal the body and alter its chemistry. In short, future generations may be made less vulnerable, but those with existing genetic disorders can only be treated not cured. That is the risk can never be eliminated, only controlled.

 

[Valentijn]

Genetic engineering is not very successful in humans.

So you're saying we should go the cyborg route instead?

 

[alex3619]

So you're saying we should go the cyborg route instead?

Well, who ever heard of a fatigued Terminator?

 

[MeSci]

Add in wings and a tail? .

Wings - oh, yes please!

 

[anne_likes_red]

I've been pushing to increase my lactate threshold for years now, I make the biggest gains in the winter when the mitochondria is boosted by exposure to cold. I have a big decline in summer, so I'm now looking forward to some cold weather again.

Nice to hear of someone else experiencing this kind of gain with cold exposure.
Its the first day of Spring in my part of the world. This is the second Winter I've been sad to say goodbye to!

 

[WillowJ]

wait, I thought there was a paper saying high lactate demonstrated good ability to exercise! /sarcasm

 

[MeSci]

wait, I thought there was a paper saying high lactate demonstrated good ability to exercise! /sarcasm

Are you referring to a different paper? My ME brain initially interpreted this one in that way, then I realised that it was referring to lactate threshold, in other words the capacity of the body to tolerate/process lactate, so that it can cope with more.

 

[Artstu]

Nice to hear of someone else experiencing this kind of gain with cold exposure.
Its the first day of Spring in my part of the world. This is the second Winter I've been sad to say goodbye to!

I've found that I seem to drop less ability each summer as the years pass, and increase my ability each winter by a bit more than the previous year, I'm really looking forward to the winter boost

 

[WillowJ]

Are you referring to a different paper? My ME brain initially interpreted this one in that way, then I realised that it was referring to lactate threshold, in other words the capacity of the body to tolerate/process lactate, so that it can cope with more.

yes, a different paper (a babble paper that I was making fun of, but didn't/don't have the citation for). sorry.

 

[MeSci]

yes, a different paper (a babble paper that I was making fun of, but didn't/don't have the citation for). sorry.

Ah - toilet paper then?!