An athlete experiences muscle cramps due to lactic acid buildup. What is the metabolic purpose of converting pyruvate into lactic acid under anaerobic conditions?
Q1. An athlete experiences muscle cramps due to lactic acid buildup. What is the metabolic purpose of converting pyruvate into lactic acid under anaerobic conditions?
Answer: Regeneration of NAD+
Explanation: NADH is oxidized to NAD+ to keep glycolysis running. Option D is incorrect because ATP is not produced during the fermentation step itself.