Respiration of lipids

• Firstly, lipids are hydrolysed to glycerol and fatty acids. The glycerol is then phosphorylated and converted into triose phosphate, entering the glycolysis pathway and then the Krebs Cycle.
• The fatty acid component of the lipid is broken down into 2-carbon fragments, which are then converted into acetyl coenzyme A. This then enters the Krebs Cycle.
• The oxidation of lipids produces 2-carbon fragments of carbohydrate and many hydrogen atoms. The hydrogen atoms are then used to produce ATP during oxidative phosphorylation. This is why lipids release more than double the energy of the same mass of carbohydrates.