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When glucose is unavailable, the liver begins to break down fatty acids to supply the rest of the body with metabolic fuel. Explain why fatty acid-derived acetyl-CoA is not catabolized by the citric acid cycle but is instead diverted to ketogenesis when no glucose is available.

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Answer:

Fatty acid degradation produces acetyl-CoA

When carbohydrate concentrations drop, any available oxaloacetate is diverted to gluconeogenesis to produce the glucose necessary for red blood cell and brain function. If acetyl-CoA cannot enter the citric acid cycle (and acetyl-CoA cannot be converted to pyruvate in mammals), it is converted to ketone bodies.