Dec 27, 2021
Today’s episode of The Drive is a
rebroadcast of the conversation with Iñigo San Millán, (released on
December 23rd, 2019). This episode with Iñigo was one of the most
popular discussions to date and is a prelude to an upcoming
follow-up discussion in 2022.
In this episode, Dr.
Iñigo San Millán, Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado
School of Medicine, explains the crucial role of mitochondrial
function in everything from metabolic health to elite exercise
performance. Iñigo provides a masterclass into the many different
energy system pathways, the various fuel sources (including the
misunderstood lactate), the six zones of exercise training, and the
parameters he uses to measure metabolic health. Additionally, he
highlights the power of zone 2 training as both an effective
diagnostic tool and, perhaps more importantly, as a treatment for
mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction.
We
discuss:
- Iñigo’s background in sports and
decision to focus on education [3:45];
- The various energy systems and
fuels used during exercise [11:15];
- Iñigo’s qualification of energy
systems into six training zones [19:30];
- Lactate as an important fuel
source [29:30];
- Zone 2 training—physiologic
characteristics, fuel sources, lactate, and the transition into
zone 3 [37:00];
- Using blood lactate levels (and
zone-2 threshold) to assess mitochondrial function
[43:30];
- Accessing mitochondrial function
by testing one’s ability to utilize fat as fuel
[51:30];
- Athletes vs. metabolically ill
patients—mitochondria, fat oxidation, muscle glycogen capacity,
“fat droplets”, and more [56:30];
- Physiologic characteristics of
zone 3, zone 4, and the lactate threshold
[1:16:30];
- Fueling exercise—dietary
implications on glycolytic function [1:27:00];
- Relationship between exercise and
insulin sensitivity (and what we can learn from studying patients
with type 1 diabetes) [1:43:00];
- Metformin’s impact on
mitochondrial function, lactate production, and how this affects
the benefits of exercise [2:00:45];
- Raising awareness of the risk of
“double diabetes” [2:11:30];
- How to dose zone 2 training, and
balancing exercise with nutrition [2:14:30];
- Proposed explanation of the
Warburg Effect: Role of lactate in carcinogenesis
[2:23:30];
- Doping in cycling, and the trend
towards altitude training [2:35:45] and;
- More.
View
the Show Notes Page for This Episode
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