Lactate from vigorous exercise signals to activate PGC-1 alpha, a key regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis.

“Basically what George is saying is that, lactate, in addition to being used as an energy source to produce energy for the cell, it also is a signaling molecule that seems to regulate maybe even on an epigenetic level where it's upregulating, meaning increasing the transcription of a variety of genes that are related to mitochondrial function and muscle adaptation and presumably, probably down-regulating genes as well.”

“one of the reasons high-intensity interval training is very good at increasing mitochondrial biogenesis compared to let's say moderate cont um continuous exercise is because lactate that's generated from that vigorous exercise is a signaling molecule to activate the protein that very much regulates mitochondrial biogenesis and skeletal muscle pgc1 Alpha so again lactate is playing that signaling role it's it's generated by the muscle it's taken back up by the muscle and then it's communicating with the muscle it's saying hey we can't make energy fast enough because this exercise is so intense we need more mitochondria to be able to do that so it's an adaptation to the vigorous intensity exercise and that adaptation is making more mitochondria which is obviously very beneficial for not only people with type 2 diabetes metabolic syndrome obesity but also everybody so it Inc so MIT biogenesis improves um Energy Efficiency in mitochondria and also is associated with other benefits like decreased atrophy and in improved exercise endurance as well so there's a whole host of benefits with increasing mitochondrial biogenesis”