High levels of lactate in the blood and spinal fluid of MS patients are linked to disease progression and disability, but are also more proof that MS is an infectious disease caused by a parasitic infestation.
What is lactate?
Lactate or lactic acid is an acid produced by the body when carbohydrates are broken down for energy. The production of lactate increases when the demand for ATP (energy) and oxygen is greater than the available supply. This can occur during intense exercise or when blood flow and oxygen are restricted to certain parts of the body. In a healthy person, excess lactate is removed by the liver and kidneys, but in people suffering from disease, lactate can build up to dangerous levels, cause the blood to become acidic and thus cause the life threatening condition, lactic acidosis.
Early symptoms of lactic acidosis include:
- nausea and vomiting
- exhaustion and fatigue
- fast, deep breathing (respiratory compensation)
- muscle cramps and body aches
The function of cells and tissues can be affected by changes in the concentration of lactic acid as it alters the pH of the body.
Many different conditions can cause a buildup of lactate.[i] Several recent studies show that lactic acid acts as a signal molecule in regulating brain function and therefore, higher than normal lactic acid levels may be involved in the development major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis.[ii]
What causes high lactate in MS?
It is believed that high lactate or lactic acid in MS is the result of malfunctioning mitochondrial or mitochondria dysfunction. There is an increased breakdown of glucose (glycolysis) in MS patients.
This theory assumes that MS patients have impaired energy metabolism which causes significant changes in the production and consumption of energy (ATP).
Thus, mitochondrial dysfunction causes an increase in the breakdown of glucose resulting in an energy penalty or diminished ATP supply.
This increased breakdown of glucose results in an increase production of lactate in MS.
Elevated lactate discovered in the spinal fluid and blood of MS patients
The 2014 study, Serum Lactate as a Novel Potential Biomarker in Multiple Sclerosis, compared the blood of 613 MS patients and 625 healthy controls.
They discovered that lactate in the blood of MS patients was:
- Nearly 3 times higher than that of healthy controls
- Higher in progressive than in relapsing–remitting MS patients
- Linked to level of disability
These researchers concluded that testing lactate in the blood may serve as a useful biomarker for multiple sclerosis.
This study reported that:
- Spinal fluid lactate was higher in relapsing remitting MS patients compared to healthy controls.
- Patients with higher Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) lactate concentration had significantly higher survey scores on the Progression index (PI), Multiple Sclerosis Severity Scale (MSSS), and Bayesian Risk Estimate for Multiple Sclerosis (BREMS) at long-term follow-up appointments.
- MRI studies showed that MS patients have higher levels of spinal fluid lactate and that there is a correlation between spinal fluid lactate concentration and the number of inflammatory lesions.
The 2019 the study, Serum Lactate as a Biomarker in Multiple Sclerosis, concluded that serum lactate levels were significantly higher among MS patients than in healthy controls
Parasites that produce lactic acid linked to MS
Various parasites produce lactic acid through anerobic glycolysis (the breakdown of glucose without oxygen for energy). In anaerobic (without oxygen) conditions, pyruvate converts to lactate through anaerobic glycolysis.
Malaria
Increased lactate production in malaria is caused by several factors: [iii]
- Malaria parasites that infect red blood cells produce their energy mainly through anaerobic glycolysis, where pyruvate is converted into lactate.[iv]
- Aerobic glycolysis (breakdown of glucose in the presence of oxygen) by immune cells that are activated to destroy the malaria parasites increases lactate.
- An increase in anaerobic glycolysis in cells and tissues that are deficient in oxygen and anemic due by the parasites.
Flukes (schistosomes) and Filarial Worms
Schistosomes and filarial nematodes use anaerobic glycolysis to obtain energy.
In one hour, schistosomes can metabolise an amount of glucose equal to one-fifth their weight. When compared to other worms, schistosomes convert glucose largely to lactic acid.[v]
The breakdown of glucose in adult schistosomes may exclusively lead to lactate formation[vi]
Filarial worms can produce lactic acid via the breakdown of glucose aerobically or anaerobically.[vii] Research shows that in the presence of oxygen (aerobic), 30 – 45% of the glucose used was converted to lactic acid, whereas in absence of oxygen (anaerobic), over 80 per cent of the total carbohydrates used by these small worms was metabolized to lactic acid.[viii]
Lyme Disease
When encountering the bacteria that causes Lyme disease (Borrelia), immune cells drastically increased their levels of glycolysis, leading to an increased production of lactate.[ix]
Candida
A study discovered that growing Candida albicans cells on lactate rendered the yeast cells less visible to the immune system when compared to yeast that was grown on glucose.[x]
Gut microbes
Specific gut microbes produce large amounts of lactic acid and when the lining of the intestine is damaged (leaky gut), lactic acid can move from the intestines into the blood and cause lactic acidosis. This will impact the function of the central nervous system through the gut–brain axis and can cause impairments to nerve function, such as ataxia (poor balance) and slurred speech.[xi]
Summary
In MS and in other inflammatory diseases, there is an increased production of acids which causes a drop in pH in the inflamed tissue. This drop in pH is largely attributed to the increased presence lactate due to leaky gut, the increased breakdown of glucose (glycolysis) by the parasites themselves and the immune’s response to the parasites.[xii]
Measuring spinal fluid lactate may be a helpful biomarker of tissue damage and may prove to be an early predictor of disease severity, but it is vitally important to understand why there is an increase in lactate, so we can treat the cause of it and of MS.
There are real solutions to recover from parasites today!
To restore health, we must focus on treating the cause of inflammation, which are parasites. First, identify the enemy (parasites), then support the body and treat the parasites while following a holistic approach. When parasitic infections are treated effectively, we can overcome inflammation or disease.
If you’re frustrated with the fact that our standard of care STILL doesn’t offer a real solution for treating MS and other diseases, then click on the link below to watch Pam Bartha’s free masterclass training and discover REAL solutions that have allowed Pam and many others to live free from MS and other diseases.
CLICK Here to watch Pam’s masterclass training
Or take the Health Blocker Quiz to see if you could have parasite infections
References:
[i] https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/lactate-test/#:~:text=If%20lactate%20levels%20get%20too,that%20gets%20to%20your%20cells.
[ii] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44192-022-00011-4#:~:text=Both%20deficiency%20and%20accumulation%20of,Alzheimer’s%20disease%2C%20and%20Multiple%20sclerosis.
[iii] https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1009122
[iv] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4869600/#:~:text=Malaria%20is%20one%20of%20the,pyruvate%20being%20converted%20into%20lactate.
[v] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.2042-7158.1959.tb12570.x#:~:text=In%20one%20hour%2C%20schistosomes%20metabolise,glucose%20quantitatively%20to%20lactic%20acid4.
[vi] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/ascaris-suum
[vii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1509947/
[viii] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18099168/#:~:text=Aerobically%2030%20to%2045%20per,per%20cent%20to%20a%20polysaccharide.
[ix] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X19302389
[x] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3536122/
[xi] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44192-022-00011-4#:~:text=Both%20deficiency%20and%20accumulation%20of,Alzheimer’s%20disease%2C%20and%20Multiple%20sclerosis.
[xii] https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.808799/full
Clinically diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 28, Pam chose an alternative approach to recovery. Now decades later and still symptom free, she coaches others on how to treat the root cause of chronic disease, using a holistic approach. She can teach you how, too.
Pam is the author of Become a Wellness Champion and founder of Live Disease Free. She is a wellness expert, coach and speaker.
The Live Disease Free Academy has helped hundreds of Wellness Champions in over 15 countries take charge of their health and experience profound improvements in their life.
