Lactate diagnostics is a method used to determine the endurance, performance and training status or progress of athletes. The doctor measures the lactate value in the blood regularly and as the athlete's exertion increases.
Here you will find all the information and selected specialists for lactate diagnostics.
Lactate is a salt of lactic acid. It is mainly produced in the stressed muscle as an intermediate metabolic product during the breakdown of sugar. It is produced when there is too little oxygen available to burn fats and carbohydrates.
The body breaks down lactate further in the liver and supplies energy. This happens much more slowly than when it is broken down with enough oxygen. Therefore, as the concentration of lactate in the muscle increases, performance drops or collapses.
Intensive strength and endurance training can push up the threshold at which more lactate is formed. This leads to greater performance.
Increased lactate formation with a loss of performance can be unpleasant and frustrating for the ambitious competitive athlete. This is the case if the athlete has to end the competition prematurely.
The lactate forces the athlete to his or her limits. It has a protective effect on the muscle and the athlete's entire circulatory system.
Intensive sporting activity leads to an increase in lactate in the blood @ Vadim /AdobeStock
Lactate is produced when there is not (or no longer) enough oxygen for energy production during physical exertion. Instead, the body breaks down sugar (glucose) from the body's own stores (in the muscles and liver) to generate energy.
Lactate is an acidic by-product of the oxygen-poor metabolic process. It mainly accumulates in the muscles.
If the body accumulates more lactate than it can break down, the medical profession refers to this as reaching the anaerobic threshold. Lactate or lactate performance diagnostics can determine when this threshold is reached in individual cases.
Lactate diagnostics is an important diagnostic procedure in sports medicine in order to check the individual resilience of the athlete. It is used to determine the athlete's anaerobic threshold.
Trainers use this data to create a training program tailored to the athlete . This process is useful to ensure that the body is not constantly overloaded or under-challenged.
Lactate diagnostics are also used to measure the body's acid-base balance. Acidosis of the body can be caused by an overproduction of lactic acid (lactic acidosis).
This can also occur in the event of shock due to massive fluid or blood loss. Cardiogenic or infection-related shock also often leads to a life-threatening lack of oxygen and acidosis of the tissue.
Cancer and other diseases as well as some medications can promote the occurrence of metabolic acidosis.
The blood lactate level can provide important information about the patient's condition and further treatment. Respiratory acidosis is caused by inadequate exhalation of carbon dioxide, in which case the lactate level is normal.
Energy production independent of oxygen only leads to more energy in the short term . Reaching the lactate threshold tends to reduce performance.
When the threshold from aerobic (with oxygen) to anaerobic (without oxygen) is reached depends on the athlete's training status.
As a rule, the lactate threshold is reached at a lactate value of around 4 mmol/l. However, this is only a guide value. However, this is only a guide value. The lactate value of a person at rest should be 1-2 mmol/l.
A strongly increased lactate level can lead to health problems. However, a lactate concentration in the range of the aerobic-anaerobic threshold is favorable for the athlete's performance.
This leads to an increase in the size of the mitochondria (the so-called "power plants" of the muscle cells).
Energy production and oxygen uptake take place in the mitochondria. Only when more oxygen is required during exercise than is available does excessive lactate formation occur.
Lactate is usually broken down in two different ways. Moderate exertion of the muscle cells promotes the breakdown. The body breaks down or converts around 0.5 mmol/l of the lactate in the blood every minute.
The two ways of degradation are:
The step test or lactate step test is used to determine an athlete's endurance capacity. This usually takes place on a treadmill or bicycle ergometer.
At regular intervals, the doctor draws blood from the athlete and measures the lactate content in the body. A few drops of blood from the earlobe are sufficient to determine the lactate value painlessly.
The step test is carried out until the athlete's maximum performance limit is reached. In addition to the lactate threshold, the doctor determines the highest lactate content of the blood.
Both the duration of the test and the length of the individual stages depend on the individual athlete. This provides important data for the optimal training process, which is particularly important in endurance and competitive sports.
For this reason, such examinations are usually carried out by a suitably trained sports physician equipped with the necessary equipment.
Different models are possible for such a step test.
One common method is:
The standard test does not involve an incline of the treadmill and is carried out as follows:
The step test is over when the test person is completely exhausted and has reached the end of their performance capacity. This point is equivalent to the performance threshold.
The lactate value measured here is usually 4-6 mmol/l, the maximum heart rate is 160-200 beats per minute (depending on age).
During exercise, the lactate level rises slowly at first . From a value of around 4 mmol/l it then rises very quickly and steeply (exponentially). At this point, the transition from the flat to the steep curve, is the athlete's anaerobic threshold. The measured treadmill speed in the area of the anaerobic threshold is important for further training planning.
A lactate test always means testing the physical stress and performance limits. The cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary systems are stressed and challenged far beyond the normal level. For this reason, people should have the lactate test carried out as part of a sports medical diagnosis if they are in good physical health.
A medical examination and a medical history interview should always take placebefore the test procedure begins.
Measurement of blood pressure during exercise ECG @ malkovkosta /AdobeStock
Patients at risk who suffer from high blood pressure or coronary heart disease need careful supervision. Medical monitoring during the exercise test by means of exercise ECG and blood pressure measurement is highly recommended.
The Leading Medicine Guide's quality assurance is ensured by the following acceptance prerequisites.
