Diabetes Question

[bamboo44]

Which of the following metabolic intermediates would be expected to be decreased in a diabetic compared to a nondiabetic?

a. Acetyl-CoA
b. Lactic Acid
c. NADH
d. Ketone Bodies

The answer is b. ..And I'm not exactly sure why..

I'm guessing that without insulin..diabetics don't have glycogen to break down into glucose....so fat is used instead for energy. So fat is converted into Acetyl CoA and ketone bodies.....so both of those are out. And then NADH is out because its made in the Krebs Cycle..and diabetics can still go through that.

But what I don't understand is...if diabetics have high glucose levels....why can't that glucose go through glycolysis? Is it because the glucose is in the blood...and can't enter cells?

I want to know if my reasoning is correct....someone please confirm! Thanks!

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[RogueUnicorn]

i swear i've answered this EXACT question before...

you got it, the glucose can't enter the cells in much of the body without insulin

 

[bamboo44]

lol. Its part of TPRs In Class Compendium...passage 15.....and it doesn't have answer explanations. You probably have done the passage before if you took the TPR class.

Anyway, thanks a ton!!

 

[PiBond]

The answer is B because: any glycolytic intermediate will be decreased in a diabetic because they are not metabolizing glucose as much. it's not that glucose won't go through glyolysis if it enters the cell, it's the fact that we have much more trouble getting glucose inside the cells of the diabetics either because they are insulin resistant or because they don't make insulin