Metabolic Disease

The most active pathways in carbohydrate metabolism are glycogenolysis (the breakdown of glycogen, a polymerized form of carbohydrate, which is stored primarily in the liver and muscles), which produces glucose and distributes it through the bloodstream, and glycolysis, which releases energy and produces pyruvate. Pyruvate is a three-carbon molecule that can be converted to acetate and enter the Krebs cycle or form several building-block molecules. The reverse processes are referred to as glycogen synthesis and gluconeogenesis, respectively.