Lactic Acid

Question: Lactic acid? Hi, Does any body know of any ways to reduce the amount of lactic acid build up in your muscles,for instance are there any foods i can eat I go running in the mornings and my leg muscles just can't take it,yet on certain days i can run the same distance no problem? At least i think it's lactic acid so any advice or tips would be helpful. Thank you in advance.

Answer: Lactic acid is the product of running anaerobically. Your body uses the citric acid energy system which does not allow for the blood to get rid of the by product "lactic acid" fast enough to continue the exercise. This is why you start to seize up when sprinting very far. You can train yourself to tolerate higher levels of lactic acid by doing stress intervals. If your muscles are bothering you the next day it is not lactic acid. Tests have shown that no lactic acid is present in the muscles after 6 hours regardless of your cool down or stretching. The soreness is micro tears in the muscle fiber from the exercise the day before, or 2 days before. Cool down well, stretch, do some massage, take it easy for one to two days after a hard work out. This is why you should alternate hard and easy days. If you continue to be sore you are over training.

Question: lactic acid? Why does lactic acid increase breathing rate? What about it does that? And why does Nicotine increasing breathing rate?

Answer: Actually wikipedia.com has an excellent article on lactic acid. Check it it should help

Question: How long should lactic acid last and how do i know if its lactic acid? I had a hard practice and the next day i barley could move my leg but i walked on it the whole day and i can move it now but it still hurts. I can barley straighten out my leg without the pain getting worse. Its kind of like a pain thats just push on my mucles and bones. Ive had it for 5 days now and it still has a pain. Is this lactic acid and if it is when will it go away?

Answer: If the pain is the same or getting worse, it may be not lactic acid. Usually the best way to get the lactic acid out of your muscles is more movement + mineral water (the real thing, not just carbonized water). Are you sure that the pain is in the muslces and not joints? Since you've been moving around, 5 days sounds like a really long time (to me). Unless you're not replacing your body fluids properly (try these electroylte drinks, mineral waters etc.) it might be some kind of another injury (tear or even rip of other tissues), see a health care provider: a) if there is no change in pain b) if it doesn't improve at all with the aforementioned addictions good luck!

Question: How does lactic acid build up affect your body? It's now my third week in track, and my coach says that the tight feeling after running for a while is lactic acid building up. So she tells us to take a 800m jog to cool down. What exactly is lactic, and how does it affect your body? Is it a harmful thing to build up? Beneficial?

Answer: it makes you sore

Question: How does Starch convert to Lactic Acid? What is the process in Industrial Production of Lactic Acid? I know Starch is first converted to Sugar and then Sugar to Lactic Acid. I need this information for a class experiment. Also need a report on how is commercial - Industrial Production of Lactic acid is done from Starch. I am totally out of resources - I've been searching for a right answer for more than 1 week. Please Help . Thank You. - Sam.

Answer: I thought Lactic acid was just the thing that made my arms and legs hurt when I'd been running to long, but Google told me otherwise http://www.google.es/search?q=industrial+conversion+of+starch+to+lactic+acid&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a

Question: What happens when lactic acid is added to beer fermentation process? I have since performed a third year, university biology lab where lactic acid, (10mL) was added to a 300 mL wort solution with 15 mL yeast slurry. The result is a solution with higher yeast cells/mL then the control with no lactic acid. I have researched online and am having trouble figuring out what is behind this? Any help, suggestions, or links would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Answer: i've found a website that describes it usage as 'yeast washing' and it outlines the advantages of this: http://oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Methods/Hayes/YeastWash.shtml While it doesn't specifically talk aobut it increasing the concentration of yeast cells, I would imagine tthat the subtle change in pH the lactic acid induces is sufficient to boost populations of yeast. Did you add lactic acid bacteria, or just lactic acid? If you added the bacteria, if they were already present, then they may interact with the yeast in some form of symbiotic or mutualistic relationship i.e. their presence boosts yeast populations or somehow provides better conditions for their survival.

Question: How do you avoid lactic acid decrease in your muscles when boxing? I'm incredibly sore a few days after boxing. Someone told me that it's because lactic acid is being pulled out of your muscles when boxing. How do you stop this? Is it partially due to diet?

Answer: \ Why does lactic acid build up in muscles? And why does it cause soreness? e-mail print comment 1diggdigg Stephen M. Roth, a professor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Maryland, explains. As our bodies perform strenuous exercise, we begin to breathe faster as we attempt to shuttle more oxygen to our working muscles. The body prefers to generate most of its energy using aerobic methods, meaning with oxygen. Some circumstances, however, --such as evading the historical saber tooth tiger or lifting heavy weights--require energy production faster than our bodies can adequately deliver oxygen. In those cases, the working muscles generate energy anaerobically. This energy comes from glucose through a process called glycolysis, in which glucose is broken down or metabolized into a substance called pyruvate through a series of steps. When the body has plenty of oxygen, pyruvate is shuttled to an aerobic pathway to be further broken down for more energy. But when oxygen is limited, the body temporarily converts pyruvate into a substance called lactate, which allows glucose breakdown--and thus energy production--to continue. The working muscle cells can continue this type of anaerobic energy production at high rates for one to three minutes, during which time lactate can accumulate to high levels. A side effect of high lactate levels is an increase in the acidity of the muscle cells, along with disruptions of other metabolites. The same metabolic pathways that permit the breakdown of glucose to energy perform poorly in this acidic environment. On the surface, it seems counterproductive that a working muscle would produce something that would slow its capacity for more work. In reality, this is a natural defense mechanism for the body; it prevents permanent damage during extreme exertion by slowing the key systems needed to maintain muscle contraction. Once the body slows down, oxygen becomes available and lactate reverts back to pyruvate, allowing continued aerobic metabolism and energy for the body�s recovery from the strenuous event. Contrary to popular opinion, lactate or, as it is often called, lactic acid buildup is not responsible for the muscle soreness felt in the days following strenuous exercise. Rather, the production of lactate and other metabolites during extreme exertion results in the burning sensation often felt in active muscles, though which exact metabolites are involved remains unclear. This often painful sensation also gets us to stop overworking the body, thus forcing a recovery period in which the body clears the lactate and other metabolites. Researchers who have examined lactate levels right after exercise found little correlation with the level of muscle soreness felt a few days later. This delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS as it is called by exercise physiologists, is characterized by sometimes severe muscle tenderness as well as loss of strength and range of motion, usually reaching a peak 24 to 72 hours after the extreme exercise event. Though the precise cause of DOMS is still unknown, most research points to actual muscle cell damage and an elevated release of various metabolites into the tissue surrounding the muscle cells. These responses to extreme exercise result in an inflammatory-repair response, leading to swelling and soreness that peaks a day or two after the event and resolves a few days later, depending on the severity of the damage. In fact, the type of muscle contraction appears to be a key factor in the development of DOMS. When a muscle lengthens against a load--imagine your flexed arms attempting to catch a thousand pound weight--the muscle contraction is said to be eccentric. In other words, the muscle is actively contracting, attempting to shorten its length, but it is failing. These eccentric contractions have been shown to result in more muscle cell damage than is seen with typical concentric contractions, in which a muscle successfully shortens during contraction against a load. Thus, exercises that involve many eccentric contractions, such as downhill running, will result in the most severe DOMS, even without any noticeable burning sensations in the muscles during the event.

Question: How do you find your lactic acid threshold? I'm a runner and would like a better understanding of how your lactic acid threshold can improve training. Also, is there a formula to find out what it is?

Answer: First some background information to help you understand what is going on. Our bodies are pretty robust. As such, depending on the conditions our bodies experience, our cells are able to produce energy through two different respiration processes: aerobic (with oxygen) and anaerobic (without oxygen). When your body has plenty of oxygen, it undergoes an aerobic process where lots of energy is produced. When your oxygen levels are depleted or just low, you can still get energy through an anaerobic process by making lactic acid, but not as much as the aerobic approach. During anaerobic respiration, if too much lactic acid is produced, then some of it gets leaked out into your muscles and impairs their function by making you fatigued and sore. Clearly, this is a condition you want to avoid. As an athlete, you want to work as hard as possible without your body having lactic acid buildup. The lactic acid threshold is the point where your body has greater production of lactic acid than it can remove, resulting in accumulation of lactic acid. The lactic acid (or anaerobic) threshold is arguably a good indication of the highest sustainable work rate. Accurately measuring the anaerobic threshold involves taking blood samples, normally involving a prick to the finger, during an exercise routine and measuring the concentration of lactic acid in your blood. Other non-invasive approaches are out there, but they are still very involved. For most people, even the non-invasive approaches are too much for an accurate reading, so they will settle for an estimate. The lactic acid threshold is normally somewhere between 80% and 90% of your maximum heart rate (MHR) in trained athletes. To figure out the optimal heart rate (more or less), you have to just go out and run at a specific heart rate and see whether you feel sore afterwards. So how does all of this information help you become a better athlete? Training between 80% and 90% of your MHR will raise your lactic acid threshold. Also, repeated training sessions working at or near your lactic acid threshold increases the production of enzymes that buffer and remove lactic acid from the blood and tissues. Finally, raising your lactic acid threshold will permit you to perform higher intensity exercise without fatigue and soreness. Now that I have told you everything I know about the lactic acid threshold, I have to tell you that I know of very few sports enthusiasts who pay much attention to all of these details. For me, it's something that I just like to keep in the back of my mind. Even if you're a professional athlete, I imagine that all of this is not as important as just going out there and working hard at what you love to do. However, if you're interested, there is the information, and I hope it is helpful. Good luck on improving your performance.

Question: How do you prevent lactic acid from building up? I know that muscle soreness after a workout is caused by lactic acid but is there a way to prevent it from building up so much so my muscles won't be as sore?

Answer: Lets see, my general biochemistry tells me it is as simple as: 1) citric acid from kool aid (weak acid) 2) Bicarb (baking soda) 3) Scholl's solution (citrate - basic form of kool aid essentially) 4) Calcium Carbonate (tums) That's all that's coming to mind

Question: Can i use an unknown concentration of lactic acid to standardize with 0.1M NaOH using methyl red? Will i have an error in calculation if i insisted of using methyl red instead of phenolphthalein? After all, lactic acid is a weak base.

Answer: Not a good idea. Methyl red changes color in the acid range. You want an indicator that changes color in the pH 8-9 range, near the equivalence point for lactic acid titrated with NaOH.

Question: How does the heart rid itself of lactic acid? Skeletal muscles undergo the Cori Cycle, but this is impossible for the heart. So during Angina, how does the heart cope with Lactic Acid?

Answer: you get treated for it... (medication)

Question: How do I flush out the soreness from lactic acid after a rough workout? I haven't worked out seriously with my crew team until today for months and I know I definitely am gonna feel it because it hurts already. How do I flush out the lactic acid? =/

Answer: The best way to get rid of lactic acid build up which can be very painful is massage. If you don't have anyone who can massage you then you could try a hot shower or heating pad to relieve the pain

Question: how does lactic acid play a role in your health and why is it painful? When I excersize when I havent for a while Ive heard its lactic acid that makes your muscles hurt. How does this play a role in your health and why is it painful?

Answer: Dear Tammie, I can relate, personally, to what you are saying. I just got a bike,again. I haven't ridden one for two summers ago. I tell you, I haven't been on it for five minutes and my thighs kill me. It is painful. I just work through it. And continue to cycle at different speeds. I believe Mother Nature is trying to make a fool of us. Eventually, she'll win, but in the mean time,Tammie, let's give her a run for the money. lol Good luck to you. The Dinosaur Lady P.S. I need to lose thirty pounds; wish me luck!

Question: What are some downsides to lactic acid fermentation? I am writing a biology paper and I need to know some downsides to lactic acid fermentation. Help please?

Answer: Well, its anaerobic, right? So it produces much less energy than aerobic. This is the main thing as it produces only 2 ATP vs the 36 you get from aerobic. The other thing would definitely be the build up of lactic acid! (the obvious by-product) You know the time, during exercise, that you start to feel stiff? This is a build up of lactic acid. It is the reason your muscles feel stiff for a long time after exercise. Hope this helps.

Question: What is the pH of a solution containing both lactic acid and propionic acid? Find the pH of a solution that contains 0.0034M lactic acid (Ka = 1.4E-4) and .056M propionic acid (Ka = 1.4E-5). I know how to get the pH of a solution with one acid compound, but two? How would one go about averaging that out?

Answer: We can say that one dissociates first, and then the other will follow. ...LacH <---> Lac- + H+ I. .0.0034. . . .0. . . . . .0 E. 0.0034-x. . .x. . . . .x ka1 = [Lac-][H+] / [LacH] 1.4E-4 = x^2 / 0.0034-x Assume x is small (which is probably a bad thing to do considering the small Ka value): x = 6.90E-4 = [H+] So now the other one can dissociate in turn: ...ProH <---> Pro- + H+ I. .0.056. . . . .0. . . .6.9E-4 E.0.056-x. . . x. . . .6.9E-4+x ka2 = [Pro-][H+] / [ProH] 1.4E-5 = x(6.90E-4+x) / 0.056 -x If we say that x is small (which is also a bad assumption considering the small ka value): [H+] from ProH = 4.153E-4 M So the total source would be: [H+]total = [H+]LacH + [H+]ProH = 6.90E-4 + 4.153E-4 = 0.0011 pH = -log[H+]total = 2.96

Question: After a heart attack amounts of lactic acid are present What does this say about the nature of a heart attack? So basically After a heart attack SMALL amounts of lactic acid are present. What does this suggest about the nature of a heart attack? PLEASE HELP!!!! also if you can answer this too it would be great In certain cases, regular excercise causes an increase in the number of mitochondria in muscle cells. How might that situation improve an individual's ability to perform energy requiring activities?

Answer: Lactic acid is produced when human cells are going through anaerobic (without oxygen) cellular respiration. This means, the cells don't get the required oxygen. Since There is a small amount of lactic acid present after a heart attack, this means that the heart tissue is not receiving oxygen during the heart attack, which would be consistent with how a heart attack occurs (the blood vessels feeding the heart tissues are obstructed). In response to "In certain cases, regular excercise causes an increase in the number of mitochondria in muscle cells. How might that situation improve an individual's ability to perform energy requiring activities?" Mitochondria is the center for ATP (energy) production. Therefore, if you have more mitochondria in muscle cells, you would increase the ATP production giving your cells the ability to generate energy to be consumed in energy required actives more easily.

Question: What's the best way to combat high lactic acid in the muscles? Two relatives and myself have been struggling with extremely sore muscles after tubing and water sking, almost a week later. My nephew was hospitalized what turned out to be heat exhaustion and a level of lactic acid in the muscles of 2000. Normal is 200. My brother in law also had an extremely high level. Even though I was not tested, every morning since then has been like I ran a marathon and lifted weights the day before. Tightness in muscles has not gone away.

Answer: The 'lactic acid' in the muscles of your nephew and brother in law was not lactic acid - it was creatine kinase (CK). When muscles are exercised very vigorously there is usually some degree of muscle damage, which allows CK to leak out and become detectable in the blood. This can be extreme with severe muscle injury (including heat exhaustion, but also crushing injuries and some lipid lowering drugs). Many people believe that it is lactic acid that causes muscle pain after exercise. It isn't. Lactic acid is produced by muscle cells when they have insufficient oxygen to contract normally. The build up of lactic acid is one of the things that limit the amount of exercise that can be achieved with a given muscle (ie if you do push ups until you can't do any more, it is because there has been insufficient oxygen to the muscles, which have then used a different biochemical way to contract, that leads to lactic acid production. Lactic acid cannot accumulate indefinitely, as it causes the pH of the cells and blood to fall to an extent that will ultimately lead to death. That's why you get out of breath and exhausted when you sprint say 400 or 800 metres. The body converts the lactic acid back into pyruvate and CO2 in the liver within minutes. A normal healthy person cannot accumulate lactic acid in the muscles - it simply isn't compatible with cellular function. That's a bit long winded, but I see a lot of nonsense written in so-called spoerts magazines. Hope it helps.

Question: What food should be avoided when recovering from lactic acid build up? When working out, are any foods particularly bad to be eating or cause the lactic acid to hang around more? I'm thinking dairy probably isn't a good idea...but that's just based on the word 'lactic' being part of the problem!

Answer: Lactic acid buildup is not related to digestive tract, it's related to the circulatory system. There is no food that difrectly interferes with this.

Question: Is there any way to prevent drastic lactic acid buildup while playing a sport, such as basketball? I don't know if I'm just cursed or what, but I work out regularly (lift weights and plenty of cardio), eat good - not great, but good - and yet I still feel out of shape when I play a good game of full court basketball, but I think it's mostly due to my muscles getting tight and achy due to lactic acid buildup. I'm 5'11" and 198 lbs. Any helpful tips? PS - Please don't answer if you aren't knowledgeable about this stuff.

Answer: If you're building up that much lactic acid, then you're not in very good cardiovascular condition. You need to do more running or similar aerobic exercise to raise your AT.

Question: What is the difference between lactate and lactic acid? We can order venous and arterial lactic acid levels, but we can't order lactate levels at our hospital, and research shows that lactate levels are indicative of injury severity.

Answer: Order lactic acid. It is the same thing. Lactate is just the dissociated form of lactic acid.