Category: metabolite
Aliases: Calcium pyruvate, Sodium pyruvate, Pyruvic acid
The terminal three-carbon product of glycolysis. Fates: (1) oxidative decarboxylation to acetyl-CoA by pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) feeding the TCA cycle; (2) reduction to lactate by lactate dehydrogenase under anaerobic / high-NADH conditions; (3) carboxylation to oxaloacetate by pyruvate carboxylase (gluconeogenesis, anaplerosis); (4) transamination to alanine. Exogenous pyruvate is rapidly absorbed and largely oxidised on first pass — plasma elevations are short-lived. Ergogenic claims derive from Stanko's 1990s metabolic-ward trials using supraphysiologic doses (22–44 g/d) during hypocaloric dieting; common supplement doses (~1 g/d) are essentially below pharmacologic threshold.