In the absence of oxygen, the pyruvates are fermented into lactate, which recycles NADH into its oxidizing form, NAD+. If oxygen is present, the cell can reap much more energy through the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate and the citric acid cycle. Pyruvate at the Crossroads A cell can use the product of glycolysis, pyruvate, in several metabolic pathways besides decarboxylation.
Turns out the old notion of eating a meal every three to four hours to ramp up oneâs metabolism wasnât exactly perfect advice. In fact, how frequently someone eats has little to do with the speed of their metabolism.
Itâs like driving: you can get there faster by driving 100 mph, but the risk is greater. Metabolism is the energy needed to keep us alive (basal metabolic rate) and to perform other bodily functions beyond simply sustaining life. By far, the most important contributor to our metabolic rate is genetics.