Lactate As Brain Fuel with Dr. George Brooks

In this podcast I interview Dr. George A Brooks, an expert in exercise physiology and lactate metabolism. Lactate, a once demonized molecule thought to form lactic acid and become a dead-end toxic metabolite, has been vindicated by the work of Dr. Brooks, his colleagues, and others. Lactate has been shown not be the cause of muscle fatigue, but to actually be a source of energy itself, even being metabolized greedily with a greater degree of preference than many other more well-known sources of energy, such as glucose.

Recent research has demonstrated that this lactate metabolism pathway has a very special importance in situations of

traumatic brain injury, which is an area of inquiry that Dr. Brooks has recently been involved with researching and we talk a little bit about during this interview.