Integration of lipid utilization with Krebs cycle activity in muscle.

This essay illustrates the ways in which beta-oxidation and the citric acid cycle interact. These included: 1) competition for CoASH, 2) competition for NAD+, and 3) competition for FADH2 oxidation. By means of the above, the cell is able to maintain a precise coordination between the activation of fatty acids in the cytosol, beta-oxidation in the mitochondria, and the complete oxidation of acetyl-CoA to CO2 via the citric acid cycle throughout a wide range of energy demands and oxygen availability.