Which evaluation of lactate is most accurate in the exercise context?

Lactate serves only as a neurotransmitter in the brain and has no metabolic significance for working muscles or the liver during and after exercise.

Lactate production only occurs at rest and is suppressed entirely during exercise because muscles always have adequate oxygen availability.

Lactate is exclusively a waste product that permanently damages muscle tissue and must be eliminated immediately through medical intervention after any high-intensity exercise.

Lactate is produced continuously but accumulates most when anaerobic glycolysis outpaces clearance; it can be transported to the liver and reconverted to glucose via the Cori cycle to help sustain activity.