Lactate gels: science, price and where to buy them

By Ramon Curto · Updated 4 August 2026

Lactate gels are endurance nutrition's headline innovation of 2026, but not yet a proven revolution. The physiology is credible: lactate is not useless waste; muscle, heart and brain can take it up and oxidise it. What remains unproven is whether swallowing it in a commercial gel repeatedly improves performance versus the same carbohydrate intake without added lactate.

Human evidence is small and mixed. A 2024 pilot found roughly 4% higher power in a 20-minute cycling time trial, while other trials found no benefit over 20 km, prolonged intervals or exercise to exhaustion. No published trial of the new products shows a marathon or running improvement that can be attributed to the gel.

Attention accelerated before summer and then reached elite endurance sport. El País profiled ExoLactate and its Spanish creators on 28 May. During July, Cyclingnews reported that UAE Team Emirates-XRG selectively used Enervit's lactate mix in the Tour de France team time trial and stage 14, rather than every day. The team's nutrition lead also said more research was needed.

In running, Santa Madre connected Lactate 60 with Yomif Kejelcha's London Marathon nutrition. World Athletics records his second place in 1:59:41. That is remarkable, but not a controlled experiment: training, shoes, weather, pacing, course and the rest of his fuelling prevent attribution to one product. The trend is real; causality is not.

A lactate gel combines carbohydrate with exogenous lactate. The first commercial gels provide about 40 g of carbohydrate and roughly 5 g of lactate per serving, although chemical form, mineral content and glucose-to-fructose ratio differ.

It is not the same as lactic acid, lactate threshold or an ordinary energy gel. At physiological pH, lactate predominates; threshold is a metabolic marker, not a supplement; conventional gels do not deliberately add lactate. These new products do not replace carbohydrate. Their 40 g must still count toward hourly intake, otherwise an athlete may exceed gastrointestinal tolerance.

The hypothesis comes from the lactate shuttle. The body continuously produces lactate, including when oxygen is available. Cells release it, other tissues take it up through monocarboxylate transporters, convert it to pyruvate and oxidise it; the liver can also use it to make glucose. George Brooks' lactate-shuttle review explains the shift away from treating lactate as waste.

Commercially, the claim is that lactate uses an intestinal route different from glucose and fructose, can be rapidly oxidised, and may signal changes in fuel use. The first two ideas have mechanistic support. That does not guarantee more watts or faster running: the dose may be small, displace another substrate, arrive when energy is already adequate or cause stomach trouble.

Research supports the statement that swallowed lactate is used, but not yet that the new gels work better. Studies vary widely in formulation, dose, protocol and participants, and almost none tested the 2026 products.

The 1997 tracer study answers “do I burn the lactate I drink?”: partly, yes. It also shows the practical problem—25 g caused enough discomfort to limit dosing and contributed little total energy. The two 2024 trials capture today's uncertainty: one positive signal over 20 minutes, one lower perceived effort without a faster two-hour protocol. Manufacturer performance figures remain brand claims until accessible, peer-reviewed and independently replicated.

Cycling is the natural testing ground because bottles and gels are easy to carry and large intakes create less mechanical stomach impact. It also accounts for nearly all human performance research on oral lactate. Running adds bounce, carriage weight and greater difficulty drinking at speed. Tolerating 90 g carbohydrate plus 10 g lactate in a cycling bottle does not show that a marathon runner can repeat it without nausea or pace loss.

The stronger evidence still supports carbohydrate. A 2026 endurance-nutrition review retains up to 90 g/h of multiple-transportable carbohydrate as the classic target beyond 2.5–3 hours; 120 g/h may be feasible for trained athletes, but elite intakes are not universally supported and data in women remain limited. Build and rehearse the basics with SportPlan's fuel and hydration planner, then find an event in the running calendar or road-cycling calendar.

Spain still lacks a stable lactate-gel dealer network. On 4 August 2026, both direct-sale gels were shown as sold out and Enervit's mix had not reached public sale.

Despite its name, Enervit Gel Mix is powder for a bottle, not a gel sachet. ExoLactate is sold by the box and Lactate 60 launched as a limited single unit. Prices, shipping and stock can change, so always recheck the product page. We found no Spanish multi-brand dealer with verifiable stock of all three. Industrial sodium-lactate raw material is not a safe substitute; do not make a home mix from laboratory, cosmetic or food-industry reagents.

All three products frame lactate as a third energy pathway, but they are not interchangeable. ExoLactate lists 5 g lactate plus 40 g carbohydrate and minerals; Lactate 60 lists 60 mmol plus 40 g carbohydrate at the highest per-serving price; Enervit supplies 10 g sodium lactate and 90 g carbohydrate in a bottle. UAE reserved the latter for selected high-demand stages, not every hour of every day.

The useful comparison is not which packet looks most advanced, but what it adds to a conventional plan that the athlete already tolerates.

There is no independent universal lactate-gel protocol. Manufacturer instructions differ and should not be combined. Treat the product as a new intervention and record the response.

1. Never debut it in a race. Choose a controlled session without extreme heat.
2. Count its 40 g of carbohydrate inside your normal hourly target.
3. Change one variable only. Keep breakfast, fluid, caffeine and intensity comparable.
4. Start with one serving, not an elite team's maximum. Track nausea, bloating, reflux, thirst and fluid needs.
5. Repeat before deciding. Sleep, weather and fatigue can explain one good or bad workout.
6. Consult a sports dietitian if you race at a high level, have a medical condition, take medication or combine supplements.

Cyclists can compare normalised power, heart rate, perceived effort and gut symptoms. Runners can compare pace, heart rate, sensation and tolerance on a stable section—without turning an easy run into a time trial to justify the purchase.

The clearest limitation in the literature is gastrointestinal tolerance at high doses. Modern formulations claim to improve it, but independent comparisons with an otherwise identical non-lactate gel are missing. Minerals also count: ExoLactate declares 100 mg magnesium, 85 mg calcium, 284 mg sodium and 104 mg potassium per gel, so repeated servings change the whole salt plan.

Lactate is not prohibited on the 2026 WADA list. That does not mean WADA approves a product or removes contamination risk. Athletes remain strictly responsible: seek independent certification, verify the exact batch and keep a record. Sport Integrity Australia explains why batch testing reduces, but never eliminates, risk.

For most amateurs, this is not yet the highest-return purchase. An expensive lactate gel will not repair missed carbohydrate targets, poor hydration, over-fast pacing or an unrehearsed race plan. It may be reasonable only if:

• You already have a rehearsed carbohydrate and hydration plan.
• You can name the problem you want to test: tolerance, late-race energy or perceived effort.
• You can compare several similar sessions.
• Price and stock allow the protocol to be repeated.
• You accept that the result may be neutral.

For a professional with a lab, dietitian and tiny margins, a possible 1% signal deserves study. For an amateur, sleep, pacing and a practised fuelling plan usually have stronger evidence and cost less.

Energy gels that add exogenous lactate to carbohydrate. The first 2026 products provide about 40 g carbohydrate and around 5 g lactate per unit; the extra performance benefit remains unproven.

No general claim is justified. Small cycling trials range from no benefit to about 4% higher power in a short test. Replication and running-specific trials are missing.

There is no evidence that they are better. Carbohydrate has decades of support; added lactate is plausible but mixed. The new gels already contain carbohydrate.

ExoLactate and Lactate 60 are listed by their official shops, but both were sold out on 4 August 2026. Enervit announced public sale after La Vuelta 2026; no stable dealer network was verified.

ExoLactate was €30.95 for six, about €5.16 each before shipping. Lactate 60 was €9.09 for one limited-edition unit. Enervit had not announced a public price.

Follow the label, count all carbohydrate and test during training first. Do not copy a WorldTour team or elite marathoner's dose.

No. Lactate is not on WADA's 2026 prohibited list, but supplements are not WADA-approved and contamination remains possible.

Yes. Older work found high oral lactate doses were limited by gastrointestinal discomfort. Begin with one serving, water access and no other new products.

Unknown. Nearly all performance trials used cycling; running's mechanical impact can reduce tolerance, so Tour experience cannot be transferred directly to a 10K, marathon or trail race.

This report separates physiological mechanism, published trials, manufacturer claims and observed elite use. A victory or record never proves a supplement by itself. Main sources:

• Brooks 2018: lactate-shuttle science.
• Rieu et al. 1997: oxidation of ingested lactate and glucose.
• Bordoli et al. 2024: oral lactate and prolonged interval cycling.
• Emhoff et al. 2024: cycle-ergometer pilot.
• Morton et al. 2026: modern endurance-carbohydrate review.
• Official pages for ExoLactate, Lactate 60 and Enervit C2:1PRO Lactate Gel Mix.
• Cyclingnews confirmation of UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Enervit use at the 2026 Tour de France.

Prices, stock and commercial messages were checked on 4 August 2026. We will update this report when independent trials of current products appear, availability changes or Enervit publishes price and distribution.