anaerobic metabolism
Fermentation-style cellular respiration
Anaerobic metabolism is the process by which cells produce energy without oxygen.
When oxygen is scarce—during intense exercise, for instance—muscles switch to anaerobic metabolism, breaking down glucose into lactic acid for quick energy: The sprinter's anaerobic metabolism kicked in during the final stretch.
Less efficient than aerobic metabolism but faster, it sustains brief bursts of high-intensity activity.
- Cori cycleLactate-to-glucose metabolic pathway
- muscle fatigueLoss of contractile power
- muscle burnFatigue sensation during exertion
- pyruvateThree-carbon acid from glycolysis
- fermentationMicrobial sugar conversion
glycolysis · ATP · lactic acid · oxygen debt · NADH · acetyl-CoA · glucose · anaerobic respiration · ethanol · gut · yeast · sourdough · bacteria · sludge · sprint · short burst · fast twitch · breathless
- metabolism termsBMR, energy expenditure, thermogenesis, calorie burn
- Ecophysiologythermoregulation, osmoregulation, metabolic rate, heat exchange, gas exchange
- metabolism types