Glycolysis

MCAT Basics (from MedSchoolCoach)

MedSchoolCoach

Science

4.6 • 612 Ratings

🗓️ 24 June 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, guest host Alex Starks introduces the Metabolism series by examining glycolysis, a fundamental biochemical pathway for energy production. The discussion covers glucose digestion, the role of insulin and glucose transporters, and the step-by-step breakdown of glucose within cells. Alex also offers a detailed explanation of how glucose is processed to generate energy and outlines the key reactions involved. This episode provides a thorough overview of glycolysis offers valuable study strategies for mastering this topic on the MCAT.

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Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Intro

(01:08) Overview of metabolism and starting the series

(02:41) Digestion and absorption of glucose into the bloodstream

(04:10) The liver’s role in glucose transport and GLUT2

(05:05) The role of insulin in glucose uptake by muscles and fat cells

(07:48) Trapping glucose in the cell with glucose phosphorylation

(09:32) Glycolysis Step-by-step breakdown of glycolysis

(17:41) NADH and ATP production during glycolysis

(22:30) Pyruvate and NADH fates in anaerobic and aerobic respiration

(25:12) Quiz: Metabolism quiz and study tips for the MCAT

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to MCAT Basics, your ultimate guide to the essential topics you need to master for the MCAT,
0:09.0	brought to you by the physicians at Med School Coach.
0:12.0	Every week, Sam Smith breaks down high-yield MCAT topics, ensuring you're primed for success on test day.
0:18.0	Join Sam as we explore the most crucial subjects outlined by the
0:21.7	AAMC pulled from official practice materials and third-party resources. Get ready to elevate
0:27.1	your MCAT game with topics tailored to maximize your score potential. Today's guest host is Alex
0:32.8	Starks. So today we're going to talk a little bit about how metabolism is tested on the MCAT.
0:39.5	We're going to go through glycolysis, and I'm going to give you my recommendation on how to
0:44.7	study for glycolysis in particular, but it really does fit in for metabolism overall.
0:50.8	All right.
0:51.4	So metabolism, the big picture, it's all about energy.
0:54.4	Well, duh.
0:55.2	But when I say that, what I want you to imagine and to think about,
0:59.0	and this is the lens that I really encourage students and test takers to view metabolism through
1:05.1	is electrons.
1:06.9	So during catabolism, the breakdown of molecules, all of ourselves,
1:11.8	but really all they're doing is taking away electrons from molecules like glucose and fatty acids through
1:17.0	redox reactions, and then most of the time they end up in the electron transport chain.
1:21.7	We're not going to talk about the electron transfer chain, which I will call ETC from now
1:26.0	on in detail, but today we'll get there, but I'll call it ETC from now on in detail. But today, we'll get there,
1:28.8	but I'll keep referencing it because it does place a lot of useful emphasis on the point of
1:35.2	cellular metabolism, which is make ATP so the cell can do whatever it needs. All right, since
	...

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