You know what this tells me? Manganese deficiency probably plays a role in metabolic disorders and trouble losing weight with exercise.

CNDP2, the enzyme that helps make lac-phe (N-[(S)-lactoyl]-L-phenylalanine) needs manganese as a cofactor.

https://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/Q96KP4

If you are deficient in Manganese, or need more Manganese because genetics, they you will not make as much lac-phe after working out.

And indeed they find that manganese deficiency is related to metabolic disorders.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-n...

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article-abstract/115/7/919/47559...