I just came across this interesting article from ABCNews. Up until recently its been thought that the presence of lactic acid in your muscles promotes fatigue. This article disputes that claim and even goes so far as to say that lactic acid can help fatigued muscles continue to function.
But people like Brooks have since shown that lactate from lactic acid is a valuable fuel derived as the body breaks down carbohydrates. Not only do muscles consume it eagerly, the brain and heart also suck it up from the bloodstream to keep systems running. High levels of the stuff can cause some sensation of muscle burn during exercise (thanks to the hydrogen ions that are released when lactic acid is broken down into lactate), but it doesn't stick around long after activity.
And now, new research shows that lactic acid serves as more than a fuel. In a study, appearing in the journal Science, Stephenson and others show lactic acid actually help keeps muscles running when they might otherwise become sluggish. To understand how, it's useful to look at what makes a muscle flex in the first place.
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