ABSTRACT
Students of intermediary metabolism have long recognized that fat and carbohydrate share some pathways of metabolism within the cell. Com plex carbohydrates are hydrolyzed and converted to glucose, which is then either oxidized or converted to fatty acids for energy storage. Lipids, likewise, are hydrolyzed to their simple components of glycerol, fatty acids, and cholesterol and either stored or oxidized for energy. Fatty acids, glycerol, and cholesterol can be synthesized from glucose and glucose can be synthesized from glycerol as well as from lactate, pyruvate, and other metabolites. It stands to reason, therefore, that the pathways of lipogenesis, lipolysis, glycolysis, and gluconeogenesis can be influenced by dietary carbohydrate and lipid. That these pathways can also be influ enced by an interaction of these dietary components is also reasonable, albeit poorly understood.
