Lactate plays a central role in controlling the utilization of energy substrates and the selection of metabolic pathways. This review aims to determine how lactate participates in energy supply and elaborate on how lactate is involved in the fat metabolism and regulation of white adipose and skeletal muscle tissues during exercise, thereby helping the human body achieve precise matching with different exercise intensities and a dynamic balance in energy supply.Numerous studies have confirmed that lactate, through multiple pathways such as the GPR81 receptor and MCT1, regulates the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway, adrenaline concentration, and mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidant function during exercise, participating in the fatty acid metabolism process of a single bout of exercise and exhibiting different effects in white adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, thereby effectively regulating lipid metabolism. This regulatory process is dependent on lactate concentration and exercise duration. Furthermore, lactate plays a crucial role in the restructuring of lipid metabolism induced by long-term exercise, particularly in promoting the browning of white adipose tissue and enhancing mitochondrial function. However, the bridging role of lactate in the transition of energy supply mechanisms and its deeper mechanisms in lipid metabolism regulation remain at the forefront of metabolic scientific research. In the future, there is an urgent need to delve into the regulatory network of lactate under different exercise intensities, reveal its potential applications in the treatment of metabolic diseases, provide a theoretical basis for the development of new treatment strategies, and promote the formulation of personalized exercise prescriptions to optimize metabolic health and disease management.
© 2025. The Author(s).