YSI introduced the first practical whole blood lactate analyzer in the early 1980s. Trainers and exercise physiologists knew the importance of monitoring blood lactate levels in elite athletes training and competing in endurance sports. The YSI lactate analyzer quickly became the method of choice due to fast results with a small blood volume. A large and growing body of scientific literature supports the link between lactate and endurance in sports training.
When an athlete performs work blood lactate levels increase with time due in part to reduced oxygen reaching muscle tissue. At a point often referred to as anaerobic threshold (or lactate threshold) the muscles are not adequately supplied with oxygen. Trainers and exercise physiologists can relate performance to lactate threshold. This value, often combined with other parameters, can be used to evaluate performance and develop training programs for individual athletes.
The YSI 2300 STAT Plus analyzer has been used in laboratory settings using blood collected and preserved during training, while the YSI 1500 SPORT, with battery power, capillary blood collection and a one-minute accurate result is used more frequently in the field. |
