MTHFR Part 3.4: Folate Cycle cont. – Citric Acid Cycle

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The Krebs Cycle is your body’s energy powerhouse, turning food into ATP — the fuel every cell needs to function and thrive.

 

The Power House: The Citric Acid/ Krebs Cycle

 

 

 

 

🔥 What Is the Krebs Cycle? 

The Krebs Cycle (also called the Citric Acid Cycle or TCA Cycle) is your body’s main energy-producing process.

It happens inside the mitochondria (the power plants of your cells). This cycle takes the food you eat—especially carbs, fats, and proteins—breaks them down into smaller parts (Acetyl-CoA), and converts them into energy molecules called ATP, which every cell uses to function.

⚙️ What It Produces:

  • ATP – Main energy

  • NADH & FADH₂ – Carriers that send electrons to the next energy step (Electron Transport Chain)

  • CO₂ – Waste gas you breathe out

🚦 Connection to Methylation:

The Krebs cycle provides ATP, which powers methylation. Without energy from this cycle, methylation, detox, DNA repair, neurotransmitter production, and immune function can slow down.

🏗️ In Simple Terms:

The Krebs Cycle is your body’s energy engine—turning food into fuel so your cells, brain, and body can run.

🚨 If ACAT Is Lessened or Missing…

ACAT’s role:
It helps produce acetyl-CoA, the fuel for the Krebs (Citric Acid) Cycle — the body’s main energy factory.

If ACAT activity drops, your body struggles to:

  • Make enough acetyl-CoA (energy input)

  • Properly break down fats and some amino acids

  • Keep up energy production (ATP)

🔁 Add Overload from NOS, MTHFR, BHMT, CBS…

These genes are involved in:

  • Detoxification (NOS, CBS)

  • Methylation (MTHFR, BHMT) – for DNA repair, neurotransmitter balance, and glutathione production

  • Ammonia and sulfur clearance (CBS)

If they’re overactive or stressed, they:

  • Demand more ATP

  • Burn through methyl donors (like SAMe)

  • Generate toxic byproducts (like ammonia, reactive nitrogen species)

  • Pull resources from mitochondria and the Krebs cycle

⚙️ The Domino Effect of a Sluggish ACAT:

System Impact
⚡ Energy Less ATP = fatigue, brain fog, mitochondrial dysfunction
🧠 Neurotransmitters Poor dopamine/serotonin balance → mood issues, anxiety, focus problems
🔄 Methylation Slowed recycling of homocysteine → buildup or depletion of key molecules like SAMe
🧹 Detox Less glutathione (master antioxidant) → more oxidative stress, toxin buildup
💨 Ammonia/Sulfur Clearance CBS may dump sulfur too fast → high ammonia, low homocysteine, high stress on urea cycle
❤️ Circulation (NOS) Imbalanced nitric oxide → blood pressure or circulation issues
🔥 Inflammation Accumulation of oxidative byproducts leads to systemic inflammation

🏁 In Simple Terms:

If ACAT slows down, your body loses its energy fuel. Add in stressed detox and methylation pathways, and the whole system starts to crash — like trying to run a city with no power and all the waste piling up.

To watch part of a lecture from Khan Academy on the Krebs cycle, click here. Or the notes, click here.

    Part of this cycle is the Oxalate Production. For more on that, you can click here. 

    🧪 What Is Oxalate Production?

    Oxalate (or oxalic acid) is a natural substance found in many plant foods and also made in your liver during normal metabolism. Your body produces oxalate as a byproduct when it breaks down substances like vitamin C, glycine, and certain amino acids (hydroxyproline).

    🔁 Where Oxalates Come From:

    1. Endogenous (Made Inside the Body):

      • From metabolism of:

        • Glycine

        • Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)

        • Hydroxyproline (from collagen breakdown)

        • Fructose (excessive)

      • Poor methylation or mitochondrial dysfunction can increase oxalate buildup.

    2. Exogenous (From Food):

      • Foods naturally high in oxalates:

        • Spinach

        • Almonds

        • Beets

        • Rhubarb

        • Sweet potatoes

        • Cacao/dark chocolate

        • Chia seeds

    ⚠️ Why Excess Oxalates Can Be a Problem:

    • They can bind with calcium, forming calcium oxalate crystals, which may lead to:

      • Kidney stones

      • Joint pain

      • Vulvodynia or bladder pain

      • Gut irritation or leaky gut

      • Worsening of neuroinflammation in autism or mitochondrial disorders

    🔗 Connection to Methylation & Mitochondria:

    • Low B6 and poor methylation can increase oxalate production from glyoxylate.

    • Yeast overgrowth (like candida) may increase oxalate production.

    • Mitochondrial dysfunction interferes with the detoxification of oxalates.

    • CBS gene upregulation can contribute to sulfur issues that worsen oxalate symptoms.

    🧠 In Simple Terms:

    Oxalates are like tiny chemical crystals that can build up in your body if you eat too many high-oxalate foods or your detox systems (methylation, B6, mitochondria) aren’t working well.

    This brings us to the end of the Folic Acid Cycle, a significant cycle. This cycle occurs simultaneously with the Methionine Cycle, which we briefly mentioned at the beginning.

    PLEASE NOTE: ANY VIEWS REGARDING THE RESULTS ARE MY UNDERSTANDING AND DO NOT SERVE AS PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. THE TREATMENT RECOMMENDATION IS STRICTLY RELATED TO ALEX’S RESULTS AND NOT MEANT FOR SELF-TREATMENT. ALWAYS SPEAK TO YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER BEFORE STARTING ANY TREATMENTS.

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