Do Lactate Gels Work? The Science Behind the New Fuel for Endurance Athletes

Are lactate gels the next breakthrough in sports nutrition?

For decades, lactate was misunderstood. Many athletes were taught that lactate was a waste product responsible for muscle fatigue and the burning sensation experienced during races or hard efforts. Modern exercise physiology has completely changed this view.

Today, lactate is recognized as an important metabolic fuel that plays a central role in energy production during exercise. The discovery of the lactate shuttle demonstrated that lactate is not simply a by-product of fatigue but a valuable energy source that can be transported between tissues and oxidized to produce ATP, the body's energy source.

This improved understanding of lactate metabolism has led to a new generation of sports nutrition products: lactate gels.

But do these new supplements actually improve endurance performance? Or are they simply another example of exciting physiology being turned into a performance product before the evidence is fully established?

Example of a lactate gel, a new category of endurance nutrition products designed to provide exogenous lactate alongside traditional carbohydrate fueling strategies. Image source: Lab to Fuel.

What is lactate and why does the body produce it?

During exercise, muscles need ATP (energy) to produce force. One of the fastest ways to generate ATP is through carbohydrate metabolism. During glycolysis, glucose is broken down into pyruvate. When exercise intensity increases and energy demand rises, pyruvate can be converted into lactate through the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Importantly, lactate production does not mean that the muscle is failing.

The traditional idea that “lactic acid causes fatigue” is outdated. Fatigue during intense exercise is influenced by several factors, including:

• accumulation of hydrogen ions (H⁺)

• changes in muscle acidity

• reduced calcium handling

• depletion of energy stores (glycogen depletion)

• nervous system fatigue

  
  

Lactate itself is not the enemy. In fact, it can be used as an additional fuel source.

The lactate shuttle: How lactate becomes fuel

The lactate shuttle describes how lactate moves around the body and contributes to energy production.

During hard exercise:

1. Fast-twitch muscle fibers (Type II fibers) produce lactate rapidly.

2. Lactate enters the bloodstream or moves between neighboring muscle fibers.

3. More aerobic tissues absorb lactate.

4. Lactate is converted back into pyruvate and enters the mitochondria.

5. It contributes to aerobic ATP production.

Slow-twitch fibers (Type I), the heart, and mitochondria-rich tissues are highly effective at using lactate as a fuel. Lactate becomes an aerobic fuel.

Endurance training improves this system by increasing:

• mitochondrial density

• lactate transport proteins (MCT1 and MCT4)

• aerobic capacity

• lactate oxidation ability

  
  

This is one reason elite endurance athletes can produce high amounts of lactate during intense efforts while still maintaining performance.

What are lactate gels?

Traditional sports gels provide carbohydrates, usually glucose, maltodextrin, and fructose.

Their purpose is clear:

• maintain blood glucose

• spare muscle glycogen

• provide rapidly available energy

  
  

Lactate gels are different because they provide exogenous lactate, lactate from an external source.

The theory behind lactate supplementation is that providing additional lactate could:

• increase circulating lactate availability

• provide another substrate for mitochondrial oxidation

• support ATP production

• reduce dependence on stored glycogen

  
  

However, the important question is not whether lactate can be used as fuel.

We already know it can.

The question is whether consuming lactate provides enough additional fuel to improve performance.

Can the body use lactate consumed through supplements?

Yes, research shows that orally consumed lactate can be absorbed and metabolized.

Lactate can be used by:

• skeletal muscle

• the heart

• the liver

• other oxidative tissues

  
  

However, increasing blood lactate concentration does not automatically mean better performance. Many supplements successfully change blood markers without producing meaningful improvements in racing.

For a supplement to be valuable, it needs to improve outcomes such as:

• higher power output

• longer time to exhaustion

• reduced perception of effort

• improved race performance

  
  

What does the research say about lactate supplementation?

Early research: no clear performance benefit

One of the earliest studies investigating lactate supplementation was conducted by Bryner et al. (1998). In this randomized, double-blind crossover study, trained cyclists consumed either

• carbohydrate

• carbohydrate plus lactate

• lactate alone

• placebo

  
  

The researchers found that lactate supplementation did not improve time to exhaustion, peak power output, blood glucose responses, or exercise performance compared with carbohydrate alone. This suggested that simply adding lactate to a sports drink was not enough to enhance endurance performance.

More recent studies: interesting physiology, limited performance improvements

More recent research has revisited lactate supplementation using improved methods. A 2024 randomized crossover pilot study examined acute oral lactate supplementation before cycling exercise. Participants consumed lactate or a placebo before completing cycling tests.

The researchers found no significant improvements in:

• VO₂peak

• lactate threshold power

• ventilatory threshold

• 20-minute cycling performance compared with placebo.

  
  

This suggests that increasing lactate availability alone may not directly improve endurance performance.

New products: What about the new lactate gels used in cycling?

The newest lactate gels entering endurance sports are different from older lactate drinks.

They typically combine:

• carbohydrates

• lactate

• specific delivery strategies designed for racing

  
  

The concept is particularly interesting for cycling because races are not performed at a constant intensity.

A cyclist may spend hours at endurance pace but repeatedly produce high lactate during:

• climbs

• attacks

• accelerations

• final race efforts

  
  

A lactate-containing gel could theoretically provide an additional fuel source during these periods. However, specific commercial lactate gels are very new, and there is currently limited peer-reviewed research directly testing these products in elite cyclists.

At this stage, the science supports the mechanism, but not yet a guaranteed performance benefit.

Who could potentially benefit from lactate gels?

Lactate supplementation may be most interesting for athletes who already have a highly developed lactate system. Lactate gels are not specific to cycling. The underlying physiology applies to any endurance sport where athletes rely heavily on aerobic metabolism and experience repeated changes in intensity.

1. Cycling (road, gravel and mountain bike)

2. Running

3. Trail running

4. Triathlon

5. Cross-country skiing

   
   

Lactate gels vs carbohydrate gels: Which is better?

At the moment, carbohydrates remain the foundation of endurance fuelling.

The strongest evidence supports carbohydrate intakes of approximately

• 60–90 g/hour for many endurance athletes

• up to 130 g/hour for athletes who have trained their gut

  
  

Carbohydrates directly support:

• blood glucose maintenance

• high carbohydrate oxidation rates

• prolonged exercise performance

  
  

Lactate gels should therefore be considered a potential addition, not a replacement.

	Carbohydrate gels	Lactate gels
Evidence base	Very strong	Emerging
Main role	Provide energy and maintain glucose	Potential additional oxidative fuel
Proven performance benefit	Yes	Not yet confirmed
Best use	All endurance events	Possibly high-intensity endurance racing

Before considering newer supplements such as lactate gels, athletes should first ensure their carbohydrate strategy is fully optimized. Learn how to build an evidence-based nutrition plan with my 1-to-1 sports nutrition coaching.

The future of endurance nutrition?

Lactate gels represent an exciting development because they are based on genuine exercise physiology. The future of endurance nutrition may involve combining different fuels depending on the demands of the event:

• glucose and fructose

• lactate

• ketones

• other metabolic substrates

  
  

However, the fundamentals will always remain the most important:

✓ Adequate carbohydrate intake

✓ Appropriate hydration and electrolytes

✓ Gut training

✓ Effective pacing

✓ Consistent endurance training

A lactate gel may eventually become another tool used by high-performance athletes, but it is unlikely to replace the proven benefits of carbohydrate fueling.

Final takeaway

Lactate is not a waste product. It is a valuable fuel molecule that plays an important role in endurance metabolism. Lactate gels are an exciting innovation based on strong physiological principles. However, current research shows that while lactate supplementation can influence metabolism, clear improvements in endurance performance have not yet been consistently demonstrated.

For cyclists, the priority remains mastering carbohydrate fueling first. Once the fundamentals are optimized, lactate-based products may provide another small advantage, particularly in high-level racing where marginal gains matter.

References

1. Brooks, G. A. (2018). The science and translation of lactate shuttle theory. Cell Metabolism, 27(4), 757–785.

2. Brooks, G. A. (2020). Lactate as a fulcrum of metabolism. Redox Biology, 35, 101454.

3. Bryner, R. W., Hornsby, W. G., Chetlin, R. D., Ullrich, I. H., & Yeater, R. A. (1998). Effect of lactate consumption on exercise performance. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 38(2), 116–123.

4. Burke, L. M., Castell, L. M., Casa, D. J., Close, G. L., Costa, R. J. S., Desbrow, B., ... Engebretsen, L. (2018). International Olympic Committee consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(7), 439–455.

5. De Guire, J. R., Devor, S. T., Murach, K. A., et al. (2024). The influence of acute oral lactate supplementation on responses to cycle ergometer exercise: A randomized, crossover pilot clinical trial. Nutrients, 16(17), 2974.

6. Gladden, L. B. (2004). Lactate metabolism during exercise. Physiological Reviews, 84(1), 27–58.

7. Juel, C. (2001). Regulation of cellular lactate transport. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 29(1), 40–45.

Marine Lenehan, Sports Nutritionist