Fat Catabolism
Fats can be catabolized or "burned" aerobically. They must first be broken into their components: a 3-carbon molecule called glycerol and 3 fatty acids. Glycerol is converted to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (GAP). GAP enters glycolysis and can be "burned" through the Kreb's (TCA) cycle or used by the liver to make new glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis. Fatty acids are broken down through a process known as beta-oxidation. Beta-oxidation takes place in the mitochondria and produces molecules of acetyl-CoA, which join the Kreb's (TCA) cycle.
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Written
by J. Ellen Lathrop-Davis, M.Sc.
CCBC - Catonsville
Summer Grant, 2002
All Rights Reserved