Here's the bacteria from Harvard that eats lactic acid Hi, Did you know elite athletes' guts are fundamentally different than yours? Scientists at Harvard analyzed the gut microbiomes of ultra-marathoners and Olympic athletes. What they found was shocking. After intense exercise, these elite athletes experienced massive spikes in the bacterium Veillonella. This bacteria eats lactic acid (the stuff that makes your legs burn) and converts it into fuel your muscles can actually use. While your body fights to clear lactic acid, elite athletes' guts are turning it into energy. The Science Harvard researchers isolated this exact strain—Veillonella atypica—and created V•N...