Exogenous lactate intake, lactate gels and endurance performance 🔥🧪
What's really behind it right now – and who might find it interesting
Reading time: approx. 8 minutes
Lactate gels are currently one of the most exciting topics in endurance nutrition. ExoLactate positions itself as a scientific resource and product platform for exogenous lactate; its homepage explicitly states that lactate is no longer seen solely as a fatigue marker, but as an important intermediate in carbohydrate metabolism and a potentially performance-relevant substance. Other providers such as Enervit, LactateGel, and Santa Madre are now also active in this market, demonstrating the rapid growth of this topic within the sports nutrition sector.
The scientifically sound summary is this: Lactate is interesting, exogenous lactate products are plausible, but the human evidence is still limited, mixed, and not yet strong enough to market them as a standard supplement. This is precisely what makes the topic so exciting for practitioners: Real mechanisms exist, but there is no simple, definitive answer yet.
What lactate really is – and why it used to have such a bad reputation
For decades, lactate was understood as a waste product or a symptom of "acidosis." This view is now considered too simplistic. Modern reviews describe lactate as a key metabolite that provides energy, acts as a signal, and coordinates metabolic pathways. Brooks therefore refers to lactate as a metabolic hub; more recent reviews also consider lactate a biologically important substance for energy, signal transduction, and even, in some cases, epigenetic effects.
It's also important to address the old misconception about pain. The burning sensation during intense intervals is n't simply lactate = pain . Current literature describes fatigue during intense exercise as multifactorial; lactate and H+ increases contribute, but are not the sole cause. And delayed muscle soreness the following day is a different matter altogether: it stems from muscle damage and inflammation, not from "lactate in the muscle."
How the body uses lactate 💡
Lactate is not an end product that the body simply needs to get rid of. It is transported between tissues, directly oxidized, converted back to pyruvate in other tissues, or recycled into glucose via gluconeogenesis. The classic human study on direct and indirect lactate oxidation shows that trained and untrained men utilize lactate both directly as fuel and indirectly via the glucose chain. More recent reviews also describe lactate as the preferred fuel for active organs such as muscles, the heart, and—in certain situations—the brain.
This is precisely where the appeal of exogenous lactate products lies: If the body already uses lactate as a substrate, additional intake could theoretically help influence energy supply, buffering, and metabolic signaling. ExoLactate articulates this idea very clearly: From this perspective, lactate is fuel and signal, not waste. The crucial question, however, is not "if" biology exists, but "how much," "when," and "for whom."
Why exogenous lactate gels are currently receiving so much attention
The market is currently in flux. ExoLactate sells a hydrogel and describes itself as a science-driven platform for exogenous lactate. Enervit has announced the C2:1PRO Lactate Gel Mix, a product that combines 10g of sodium lactate with 90g of carbohydrates; LactateGel and Santa Madre also market lactate-containing endurance products. This demonstrates one thing above all: this category is emerging and is currently being driven by a strong combination of applied science, product development, and marketing.
The most important practical observation is this: None of the current products market lactate as a replacement for carbohydrates, but rather as a supplement within a fueling system. This makes sense because carbohydrates remain the central foundation in long, demanding endurance situations. ExoLactate itself describes the technology as an exogenous fueling approach, not as a replacement for traditional carbohydrates.
What the human evidence really says so far 📚
The good news first: Initial human studies are now available. The less good news: They are small, have different designs, and do not provide a consistent picture of performance. In a randomized crossover study published in 2024 with 15 recreational exercisers – nine men and six women – commercial oral lactate supplementation did not clearly alter the physiological responses to a cycle ergometer protocol in a way that improved performance; while it improved acid-base markers and lowered RPE, it did not lead to better overall performance and was associated with more gastrointestinal discomfort.
Another study from 2024 in the Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology also found no performance gain in 16 trained male cyclists using a longer, intermittent protocol, although bicarbonate and strong ion difference markers increased and perceived exertion decreased. The authors themselves conclude that the form, amount, frequency, and timing of lactate supplementation are not yet fully understood and that the benefit likely depends heavily on the training profile.
There's also a counter-argument: ExoLactate reports on a small pilot study with 15 recreational cyclists in which low-dose commercial lactate supplementation did not alter VO₂peak or threshold parameters, but did provide a slight advantage in a 20-minute time trial. This is interesting, but currently more of a signal than definitive proof. Furthermore, older studies already show that oral lactate supplementation does not automatically lead to improved performance.
For whom might this be useful – and for whom rather not?
Exogenous lactate currently appears most plausible during long, intense, and intermittent exertion , i.e., where carbohydrate requirements, buffering, and fatigue resistance are all relevant simultaneously. This is more suited to road cycling, long triathlons, or very demanding ultra-trail situations than to easy workouts or short races. For short, clean carbo-loading situations, the added benefit has not yet been sufficiently proven.
For ultra-trail runners, cyclists, and triathletes, this idea could be particularly interesting if they already have a good carbohydrate fueling strategy and want to test an additional variable, for example, in race simulations or tough race rehearsals. Those who are sensitive to glycemic index (GI), react strongly to complex products, or are not yet confident in their standard fueling strategy should probably not start with a new component. The 2024 human studies explicitly show gastrointestinal side effects.
Regarding the question of age and gender, the main point to remember is that the data is currently too small for robust subgroup recommendations. The current human sample includes, among others, ten healthy young men in an exolactate reference study and a small, mixed-gender pilot group of 15 people; therefore, no clear statements can be made regarding age or sex. For elite athletes, women in different phases of their menstrual cycle, or highly trained elite athletes, the evidence remains limited.
What you should do with this in practice ✅
If someone wants to test exogenous lactate, they should do so as a clean experiment: in a training session that resembles a race, with a documented carbohydrate strategy, the same pre-race workload, and an honest GI check. The latest manufacturers' websites position lactate products as a supplementary fueling component; that's exactly how they should be treated, not as a lifeline for inadequate basic nutrition.
In practical terms, this means: first stabilize your standard fuel mixture, then test; not the other way around. Especially in cycling and triathlon, where carbs, sodium, and fluids already dominate the outcome, an additional lactate product can only be beneficial if it improves performance and doesn't complicate it. In training, I would test it in highly selective race simulations rather than in every easy session.
Jani Brajkovič's coaching perspective is helpful here as a corrective: His platform emphasizes stress budgeting, the nervous system, and a body-first approach. This is precisely the opposite of the supplement hype. If the system is already overloaded, no fuel experiment can replace proper recovery, clean load management, and a realistic weekly rhythm.
Alex | aecoaching – coaching takeaway
Exogenous lactate products are currently more of an interesting niche than a necessity. For ambitious endurance athletes, only those products that truly improve performance during a race are worthwhile: more energy, better tolerance, or a clear advantage in the final hour. If this isn't clearly demonstrable, traditional carb fueling remains the better choice.
Conclusion
Lactate has rightly been rehabilitated today: not a waste product, but a fuel, shuttle, and signaling molecule. Exogenous lactate gels are therefore not an absurd idea, but a genuine research and product trend. However, the hard facts are equally clear: human studies are small, the results mixed, and GI tolerance and timing remain key questions. For ambitious runners, trail runners, cyclists, and triathletes, the most sensible approach therefore remains: test with curiosity, but stay evidence-based.
Connection to aecoaching 🚀
If you want to do more than just read about these topics and actually apply them to your race, your stomach, and your training load, personal coaching is often the fastest way. At aecoaching.at, Alex combines evidence-based sports coaching for cycling, running, trail running, and triathlon with psychological coaching and a solution-focused approach. Especially when dealing with complex fueling issues, competitive pressure, and long endurance events, this combination often makes the difference between "just trying" and "systematically improving."
List of sources with DOI
Brooks, G.A. (2020). Lactate as a fulcrum of metabolism. Redox Biology, 35, 101454. DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2020.101454 .
Miao, et al. / review context (2025). Beyond Fuel: Exercise-Induced Lactate as a Metabolic-Epigenetic Core. DOI: 10.3390/biom16010043 .
Lactate metabolism review (2022). Lactate metabolism in human health and disease. DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00038.2020 .
Brooks, GA & colleagues (2013). Direct and indirect lactate oxidation in trained and untrained men. DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00538.2013 .
Ewell, TR, et al. (2024). The Influence of Acute Oral Lactate Supplementation on Responses to Cycle Ergometer Exercise: A Randomized, Crossover Pilot Clinical Trial. Nutrients, 16(16), 2624. DOI: 10.3390/nu16162624 .
Bordoli, C., et al. (2024). Effects of Oral Lactate Supplementation on Acid–Base Balance and Prolonged High-Intensity Interval Cycling Performance. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 9(3), 139. DOI: 10.3390/jfmk9030139 .
Bryner, R.W., et al. (1998). Effect of lactate consumption on exercise performance. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 38(2), 116-123. DOI: (older study; DOI not clearly surfaced in the search result) .
Painelli, V. de S., et al. (2016). Chronic lactate supplementation does not improve blood buffering capacity and repeated high-intensity exercise. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. DOI: 10.1111/sms.12792 .
Morris, et al. / review context (2019). Lactate production contributes to development of fatigue during exercise. DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00140.2019 .
Advances in DOMS review (2019). Advances in Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). DOI: 10.2174/1871527319666181008162006 .
ExoLactate (official site). ExoLactate® – The evolving science of lactate as an exogenous fueling solution.
Enervit (official product page). C2:1PRO Lactate Gel Mix.
LactateGel (official site). The next endurance fuel is coming.
Santa Madre (official product page). LACTATE 60.
Jani Brajkovič / JB Method. Stress budget, pressure, recovery and body-first performance coaching.
Comments