Hyperlactatemia in type 2 diabetes: Can physical training help?

Type 2 diabetic patients often exhibit hyperlactatemia in association with a reduced aerobic-oxidative capacity and a restricted lactate transport. Studies suggest a link between increased lactate levels and the manifestation and progression of insulin resistance. However, the specificities of molecular mechanisms remain unclear, and it is not entirely clear whether elevated lactate levels are a cause or consequence of type 2 diabetes. This review focuses on lactate as a key molecule in diabetes and provides an overview of how regular physical activity can be helpful in normalizing elevated lactate levels in type 2 diabetic patients. Physical training may reduce lactate production and reinforce lactate transport and clearance among this particular patient group. We emphasize the crucial role physical training plays in the therapy of type 2 diabetes due to evidence that pharmacological treatment with metformin, which is commonly used in the first-line therapy of type 2 diabetes, does not help reducing lactate levels.