Oliva wrote:
>
>> Now I'm confused......  Isn't it pyruvate which increases or speeds up
the
>> Krebs cycle, which causes an increase in the burning of calories and
>> prohibits fat storage???   (assuming one hasn't overdone the calories.)

Pyruvate is just an intermediate which occurs in burning calories from
carbohydrate and protein (gluconeogenesis of some amino acids).
Speeding up (or enabling anyway) is not the intermediate, but the enzymes
which *work* on the intermediates.

Pyruvate for example is processed by the "pyruvate dehydrogenase complex"
into actetyl CoA.

This actetyl CoA then enters the Citric acid Cycle, which is the "final
common catabolic pathway of fuel molecules".

Fats enter the fuel pathway in the stage of "acetyl CoA", circumventing the
pyruvate stage.

The difference between fat burning and carbohydrate burning is therefore
that the "pyruvate dehydrogenase complex" isn't necessary.

This part of the burning engine uses an enzyme "pyruvate decarboxylase".
Which is thiamin *dependent* (vitamin B1 dependent).

A thiamin lack causes a stowag in the stage of pyruvate. ...

You can see a nice picture of the process at
http://chemistry.gsu.edu/glactone/PDB/Proteins/Krebs/Krebs.html
On the top you see as the first displayed stage pyruvate.
Then remember that fats enter directly into the second stage avoiding
the "pyruvate dehydrogenase complex".

On Wed, 19 Jul 2000 21:00:50 -0400, Todd Moody <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> I have been able to verify through Medline that pyruvate
>and lactate levels are elevated in obese people, ...

>Pennington's theory is that obesity is the body's attempt to
>compensate for its impaired ability to use carbohydrates *and*
>fats by increasing the fat supply ...

>(1) For unknown reasons, some people have difficulty with the
>conversion of pyruvate to ATP, so their ability to burn glucose
>is impaired.

Missing pyruvate decarboxylase is a striking reason, isn't it?

Pyruvate decarboxylase is thiamin dependent.
Thiamin is the vitamin with the shortest storage capacity in the body.
Is is generally low in supply in western (and obese) countries.
Thiamin is sensible against heat and very sensible against extraction
processes like milling and gaining sugar.

Recommended anchell fruit, as a tendency was high in decarboxylation
vitamins, forbidden fruit was low.
(No idea what speaks against salad, that must be something else)

>
>(2) This causes pyruvate levels to become elevated.

D'accord to all you points and interpretations.

>In Pennington's own words, "Obesity might be considered as a
>compensatory hypertrophy of the adipose tissues, providing for an
>increased use of fat by an organism that suffers an impairment
>in its ability to oxidize carbohydrates."

I reflect on this, because the vitamin shortages, especially the lack of
decarboxylases make the central point in my (very) unfinished  manuscript
-- working title "Die Fett Falle" (The Fat-Trap) or "The energy solution".

I hope that this makes sense to the list readers, and somebody can derive
a nutrition inspiration out of it.

regards

Amadeus
(now I've done my blood test, saw pyruvate as an option and checked it too,
results not yet arrived)