AN AK APPROACH TO KREBS CYCLE DYSFUNCTION AND BEYOND

By: Richard Belli, DC, DACNB, FABNN

We need ATP not just for physical exercise, but for every biochemical reaction that takes place in the body At the heart of the cell is a merry-go-round of energy and matter known as the Krebs cycle It is also sometimes called the “citric acid cycle” or the “tricarboxylic acid cycle” But for this discourse we will stick with the common name of Krebs cycle

Each step in the Krebs cycle is an ostensibly trivial rearranging of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen atoms with a byproduct of carbon dioxide The textbooks tell us that the Krebs cycle generates energy by stripping out hydrogen atoms from the carbon skeletons of food and feeding them to the ravenous beast that is oxygen This is the process of cellular respiration The energy released at each step is ingeniously captured and used in the cell, while the inert carcass of water and carbon dioxide are discharged to the outside world

You will read that the Krebs cycle is about the oxidation of food stuffs, and especially glucose to synthesize ATP, but, in addition to the primary source of ATP, the Krebs cycle is considered the engine of biosynthesis For example, most amino acids are directly or indirectly from molecules in the Krebs cycle So are the long-chain lipid molecules needed to make cell membranes Even the letters of DNA termed nucleotides are made from sugars and amino acids also derived from the Krebs cycle

The Krebs cycle is also important for production of neurotransmitters, including the excitatory neurotransmitter Glutamate and the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Glutamate is directly produced by the Krebs cycle, then converted to GABA via a decarboxylation reaction and a cofactor Peridoxal-5-Phosphate, the phosphorylated form of B6. The balance of Glutamate and GABA production is imperative for normal cerebral cortex function. This imbalance can lead to disorders of mood, anxiety and in extreme cases seizures.

Considering the previous discussion, it is very easy to appreciate the myriad of symptoms and maladies that may occur with dysfunction of the Krebs cycle. Including everything from fatigue, pain, digestive disorders, anxiety, and heart issues.

Krebs cycle dysfunction is so impotent that it is hard to believe a patient can move towards optimal health until it is corrected. Therefore, two questions immediately come to mind, what causes Krebs cycle dysfunction and how do we treat it.

The Krebs cycle is susceptible to many assaults, which include a simple lack of vitamin and mineral cofactors, toxins, virus, as well as inflammatory hormones, immune cytokines, alcohol, heavy metals, and other commonly abused substances.