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Fixed typo: "...into acetyl-CoA order to get energy." changed to "...into acetyl-CoA in order to get energy." |
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* When the body has ''sufficient'' carbohydrates available, [[glucose]] is completely broken down to [[carbon dioxide]], with acetyl-CoA as an intermediate, and the CoA is recycled in this process (the [[citric acid cycle]] and [[electron transfer chain|electron transfer]]).
* When the body has ''excess'' carbohydrates available, some glucose is fully metabolized, some is broken down to acetyl-CoA, but not all the way to CO<sub>2</sub>, since not all of that energy is needed yet. Instead, acetyl-CoA molecules are combined to create [[fatty acids]] to save for later. (CoA is also recycled here.)
* When the body has ''no carbohydrates'' available, fat must be broken down into acetyl-CoA in order to get energy. CoA is not being recycled through the citric acid cycle: it is being attached to more and more acetyl groups. You need more CoA to keep breaking down fats, and the only place to get it is from all those acetyl-CoA molecules, by attaching them to each other to get the CoA to fall off.
COO- COO-
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