Lactic acid is now better appreciated as a naturally occurring substance that can greatly reduce muscle soreness and increase endurance and stamina. In some cases, this substance has also been synthesized to account for the body's ability to speed muscle recovery if it is utilized right.
Lactic acid is a substance that is continuously produced by the human body to meet various energy requirements. The peak of production is achieved in times of increased physical activity where the muscle's energy and oxygen requirements may surpass the body's ability to supply the much needed energy. When lactic acid is formed and accumulates in the muscle cells, a variety of chemical processes splits off a hydrogen proton from lactic to form lactate.
Lactate is a not-so-distant cousin of lactic acid and is one of the primary energy precursor molecules in the complex process of energy production in the liver. Lactate is converted by the liver into pyruvate in order to produce glucose which serves as the fuel for all kinds of cells inside the human body. In some instances, lactate is also stored as glycogen (stored glucose) in muscle cells. As these cells use lactate, they eventually produce adenosine triphosphate or ATP which is the primary energy molecule for the cells.
During any physical activity, each cell in the body must be able to work efficiently to meet the increased metabolic requirements. For this purpose, glucose is first utilized as the primary fuel source for a variety of metabolic processes. In cases of extended physical activity or increased magnitude of exertion, glucose stores may be easily depleted as such the body will be looking for other sources of energy. The body first taps glycogen stored in muscle cells before turning to lactate to meet the increased metabolic requirements. One very important role of the lactate-pyruvate pathway is that these clear buildup in muscle cells.
The role is therefore very important in the production of lactate which is transported to the liver for various metabolic processes. This greatly accounts for the substance's value to increase endurance and stamina and greatly reduce muscle soreness. Without it, if glucose and glycogen stores get depleted during intense physical activity or great metabolic demands, the body will have to start using amino acids (the functional units of protein) as sources of energy. Using protein as an energy source can lead to a severe form of malnutrition known as protein calorie malnutrition.
Lactic acid is naturally produced by the body especially in times of increased metabolic demands. However, in recent years it has been synthesized through a variety of processes that it now has both health and commercial applications.
Because it is greatly associated with the body's efficiency in producing energy, its synthesis can be significantly increased by the use of lactose-based microorganisms. Lactose or milk sugar has been noted to be primarily useful in terms of providing adequate lactic levels to a newborn infant. Breast milk is thus an important source of lactic acid because human milk has been known to contain some form of Lactobacilli organisms that produce it. The effect of these microorganisms on the newborn may not be at all related to the desired effect of the substance to increase endurance and stamina, greatly reduce muscle soreness, speed muscle recovery, and clear buildup in muscle cells. However, the importance of lactic acid on young children will be in the promotion of early maturation of the immune system as well as the provision of adequate protection against some infections.
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