Reliability and Accuracy of Six Hand-Held Blood Lactate Analysers

[EveRower]

I have been looking to buy a lactate analyser for some time now. I have had a few added to the shopping cart and almost purchased but seem to keep stopping. Maybe deep down I know I'm not maybe at a level of competition that requires lactate testing, but then again I keep wanting to buy because I do put in quite a lot of training and want to see results and reasons for improvements.

In googling lactate analysers just found the following - might be of help to others looking to buy.

http://www.jssm.org/research.php?id=jssm-14-203.xml

Edit - Although reading through it all it kinda says all are ok, ha ha.

[track_bites]

Thanks for posting.

Looking at the article, it references a Nova Statstrip Xpress meter which is not available in the US. It looks a lot like a Nova Lactate Plus meter and seems to use the same test strips. Does anyone know if it is the same meter with different branding?

[Stelph]

I had seen that study when I was looking to buy mine, here's also another that compares th lactate scout, the original lactate pro and the lactate plus

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20145946

In the study you linked it's interssting that the Edge does well enough to be recommended as here in the UK it's the cheapest one currently available

http://www.lactatelevel.co.uk/contents/ ... lyzer.html

The only downsides I would say it looks to have is that it needs a relatively large amount of blood (3u) and it also appears to need/use a control solution. The lactate scout only needs 0.7 u and the lactate pro2 only needs 0.3u of blood, trust me this makes it MUCH easier to get correct results. Also the lactate pro 2 is auto calibrating according to the manual so I assume that means it doesn't need a control solution to calibrate, the cheapest I've seen in the UK is here

http://www.praxisdienst.com/en/Laborato ... tAod7D0AVA

I get the impression the lactate pro is the benchmark, as most other meters tend to measure themselves against it when they are talking about their accuracy

[EveRower]

Interesting that at low lactates the handhelds under estimate/measure just a little bit, so can have you working a little harder than you should. So as MChase has found being a bit below 2.0mmols (1.5-1.8 I'm sure he works from at the moment) is probably better.

[EveRower]

In the study you linked it's interssting that the Edge does well enough to be recommended as here in the UK it's the cheapest one currently available

http://www.lactatelevel.co.uk/contents/ ... lyzer.html

The only downsides I would say it looks to have is that it needs a relatively large amount of blood (3u) and it also appears to need/use a control solution. The lactate scout only needs 0.7 u and the lactate pro2 only needs 0.3u of blood, trust me this makes it MUCH easier to get correct results. Also the lactate pro 2 is auto calibrating according to the manual so I assume that means it doesn't need a control solution to calibrate, the cheapest I've seen in the UK is here

It seems really cheap seen as though you get 50 test strips included. In a way its what has put me off ordering the EDGE. I would have hoped to have come across some reviews or YouTube videos of someone using it but have found nothing. The study has reassured me a bit. I think it uses more blood because you "smear it on" (probably not the correct term) rather than the little siphon action of the small capillary on the other ones. The 45 secs read time has put me off a little bit but then even if my Rowing Club start using it I don't think we'd have large numbers of people needing to be tested at the same time so should be ok I think.
The control solution is a bit off putting.

All the meters do seem to be marketed towards medical professionals lacking a little bit of the consumer information would be nice if everything was a little clearer and consumer focused.

http://www.praxisdienst.com/en/Laborato ... tAod7D0AVA

I get the impression the lactate pro is the benchmark, as most other meters tend to measure themselves against it when they are talking about their accuracy

[/quote]

That is a great price on the Lactate Pro 2 doesn't say it has test strips, I am assuming not for that price, test strips seem to be out of stock might have to wait a little longer.

I have been wanting to order from the UK so that re-ordering strips is easier and cheaper as no large shipping fee. praxisdienst.com seems to at least charge just UK shipping rates.

Stelph

So which one do you have? Where did you get it in the UK?

Many thanks

[Stelph]

I used to have the accutrend plus but was finding the amount of blood needed was giving me odd readings, plus like you say, the long read times were causing me problems. Now I've got the lactate pro 2 that I got from here.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1205827062

Shipped from Europe but obviously no tax issues in the EU And it comes with 50 sticks and lanclets, the manuals were all in foreign but it was easy enough to find English ones online and it's not that hard to use!

I did think about getting the edge but it was out of stock everywhere at the time and in the end the extra reliability, smaller blood sample and quicker readings persuaded me to spend that bit extra

[MChase]

At workout last evening, I showed the kids the results of the last month on the big projection screen we have up front. I did a query on our database in which each line showed a rower, one-month-ago 2K, latest 2K, and average lactates over the month, and % improvement in 2K. It was ordered by Average Lactate in a descending order. So the highest lactates were at the top, lowest lactates at the bottom. The first 4-5 lactates were in the > 2.0 range and all of these kids had degradation in their 2K scores; then came the lower lactates and generally improvement in scores. The point I was trying to make for the kids, using real data with their names attached, is that SS pace matters. Go a little too hard and it shows up in your 2K time as less improvement or even degradation. It is not universal but I think once again, the kids were impressed by the tendency.

So it points to a couple of things. Lactates matter and small differences matter. I doubt that measuring sweat lactate will ever be close enough (not that anyone is supporting that idea firmly). Also, most of our kids are well below 1.8 and 1.8 is now our high-water mark for lactates. That is, you've been doing SS for a week or 10 days at 150 watts and your lactate returns as 1.3. So I bump you up maybe 3 watts to 153. You'd probably pull a 1.6 or 1.8 lactate if you tested immediately at that new watts, but instead you train at that new SS for a week and retest....and your retest might be 1.4...so I repeat the cycle by upping you 3 watts and retest in a week or so. So the rower never bumps up over 1.8. I like 1.8 high-water mark and below because it seems to provide better improvement.

I also showed all the kids some select rowers (including 2 who are in the 6:20's) and their lactates over the last year. I think the young'uns just figured these kids were always fast and did not realize one was pulling in the 140's watts a year ago with lactates too high (> 2.0) and then got with-the-program. It was instructive to the kids that these watts gradually build...got to be patient...got to be at the right watts.

It also shows how much we need prospective studies where we form two groups-- one staying above 2.0 and one below 2.0 during SS for a winter season. I'd put my money on the < 2.0 group for greater improvement, but a prospective study is needed...well controlled, randomly assigned. etc. I don't do prospective research on my kids, but it would be a service to youth endurance sports for someone to do it. Retrospective analysis just doesn't have the power of a prospective study.

[EveRower]

MChase

That must be so great to have all that information to show the kids. Even more so their parents, as it really shows that if they do as coach says they will get better.

Everything I have now read with regards to lactate and aerobic and anaerobic fitness really makes me wish the sports education I got as a kid was different and more informed. At school the priority should be on how to improve ones fitness. So focus on improving SS in what ever activity it is you are doing running, cycling, rowing and educating kids on how to do this. Strangely some junior schools in the UK have gone down a non competitive route, but maybe competition in improvements in SS could be better overall at that age than direct competition in sports (hmmm well maybe not winning is still great).

I am hoping to start recording some data at my rowing club but with Masters rowers. Some of which have only just come into rowing. This may actually show volume thresholds for improvements as not everyone trains the same amount, there is a span of different training volumes so would record this quite accurately to see what is any correlations.

Personally I think I see definite improvements at above/around 80k per week or at least improvements come quicker and so I notice them in the shorter term.

[EveRower]

I used to have the accutrend plus but was finding the amount of blood needed was giving me odd readings, plus like you say, the long read times were causing me problems. Now I've got the lactate pro 2 that I got from here.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1205827062

Shipped from Europe but obviously no tax issues in the EU And it comes with 50 sticks and lanclets, the manuals were all in foreign but it was easy enough to find English ones online and it's not that hard to use!

I did think about getting the edge but it was out of stock everywhere at the time and in the end the extra reliability, smaller blood sample and quicker readings persuaded me to spend that bit extra

Stelph thanks for the link looks like only 25 sticks with it now

I think the lactate pro 2 might be better as the sticks can be bought more locally (within EU) from more places than the EDGE.

The EDGE does go out of stock a lot on the UK site and so do the test sticks, bit of a worry.

[Stelph]

So it points to a couple of things. Lactates matter and small differences matter. I doubt that measuring sweat lactate will ever be close enough (not that anyone is supporting that idea firmly). Also, most of our kids are well below 1.8 and 1.8 is now our high-water mark for lactates. That is, you've been doing SS for a week or 10 days at 150 watts and your lactate returns as 1.3. So I bump you up maybe 3 watts to 153. You'd probably pull a 1.6 or 1.8 lactate if you tested immediately at that new watts, but instead you train at that new SS for a week and retest....and your retest might be 1.4...so I repeat the cycle by upping you 3 watts and retest in a week or so. So the rower never bumps up over 1.8. I like 1.8 high-water mark and below because it seems to provide better improvement.

Assuming you are still testing only the first 20' of a 3x20' protocol then the idea of "aiming low" for the first one make sense to me, at least from what I am seeing from my own experience. What I find is that lactate slowly increases over time, and the increase appears to get steeper as the lactate level is increasing (as you see with any lactate curve), so even If you are below 2mmol after the first 20mins and stay at the same wattage for the next two pieces, your blood lactate will increase and possibly at some point go above 2mmol if you were already close to that value. My own example getting 1.9 after the first 20mins, then for the last 20mins my lactate ended up being 2.9 despite being the same wattage/rate for all 3 pieces. With this in mind, and in order to maximise the time under 2mmol it makes sense in my mind to "lowball" the first 20mins at 1.4-1.6 mmol to make sure the whole hour is under 2mmol

It also shows how much we need prospective studies where we form two groups-- one staying above 2.0 and one below 2.0 during SS for a winter season. I'd put my money on the < 2.0 group for greater improvement, but a prospective study is needed...well controlled, randomly assigned. etc. I don't do prospective research on my kids, but it would be a service to youth endurance sports for someone to do it. Retrospective analysis just doesn't have the power of a prospective study.

I agree, more studies would be useful, especially looking across more age groups and also, eventually, looking into what is the "best" or "minimum" amount of time per session is needed to get the best effects, you appear to get good results with hour sessions, but is there more potential improvement with 90 mins?

If a study was done to compare the groups training below 2mmol and above 2mmol tho, and if I had to guess the results, my feeling would be you would see a greater improvement across all athletes in the polarised/sub 2mmol group, but you would see big improvements in a few individuals in the above 2mmol (or threshold) group, that kind of aligns with studies I've read in other sports (and also my own experience training in squads where we have clearly been doing a majority of threshold training) where generally the polarised plans work for all but some (genetically?) "lucky" individuals respond well to the threshold type training where as others stagnate/burnout

[Stelph]

I used to have the accutrend plus but was finding the amount of blood needed was giving me odd readings, plus like you say, the long read times were causing me problems. Now I've got the lactate pro 2 that I got from here.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1205827062

Shipped from Europe but obviously no tax issues in the EU And it comes with 50 sticks and lanclets, the manuals were all in foreign but it was easy enough to find English ones online and it's not that hard to use!

I did think about getting the edge but it was out of stock everywhere at the time and in the end the extra reliability, smaller blood sample and quicker readings persuaded me to spend that bit extra

Stelph thanks for the link looks like only 25 sticks with it now

I think the lactate pro 2 might be better as the sticks can be bought more locally (within EU) from more places than the EDGE.

The EDGE does go out of stock a lot on the UK site and so do the test sticks, bit of a worry.

Sorry my mistake, it was only 25 sticks, but it's enough lancelets to last an age and 25 sticks should last a while if it's only testing yourself. Sounds like we both considered the same things, the pro2 just seemed a bit more reliable and I'm defiantly happy with it

[EveRower]

Sorry my mistake, it was only 25 sticks, but it's enough lancelets to last an age and 25 sticks should last a while if it's only testing yourself. Sounds like we both considered the same things, the pro2 just seemed a bit more reliable and I'm defiantly happy with it

That sounds like a good endorsement. The first website actually works out cheaper just need to wait for sticks to come back into stock with them (2weeks they think)

Stelph maybe you should do a Youtube Vid showing the lactate analyser in action? Possibly very boring I know, but not many out there might end up with lots of hits.

[Stelph]

MChase has already posted a pretty good video showing how to test on the erg already, although he is using the lactate plus the pro2 is essentially the same

http://youtu.be/PA7WvFIdyro

The only difference being as I self test I tend to set everything out before I start (leaving the stick in the packet), then when I finish I open the individual packet the stick is in and put the stick into the lactate pro2, then the rest is the same as MChase does in this video, although I do also put a plaster on to make sure I don't leak all over the place for the rest of the workout

[EveRower]

Oh yeh thats good

There are actually quite a few on youtube already, must have been too specific on my searches before.

[sicknote]

This is a very well timed post as my index finger has been hovering above the buy button... whats the verdict? Pro2, im guessing...?

Also, regarding lactate-drift.... Ive assumed that this happens to a degree, but i guess ive been looking for someone to mention it for my piece of mind; so thanks for that MChase and Stelph!