Abstract: Lactic acid and its metabolism play a very important role in the body’s metabolism network. They can control the metabolic directions of the pyruvate and adjust the NADH/NAD+ ratio in the system. So the lactic acid can be considered as a good pool of‘ reductive power’, through which the body’s redox and breathing state can be well regulated. This paper analyzed the basic pathways of the lactic acid metabolism in vivo and its regulating characteristics in the different conditions and discussed the potential ability of the lactate food in defending the development of cancer and the good prospect for further research and exploitation.

Key words:  , lactic acid fermentation； lactate food； lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)； hypoxia； Pasteur effect；