oxygen debt

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oxygen debt The situation that arises in an aerobic animal when insufficient oxygen is available for necessary metabolic functions (e.g. during strenuous physical exertion). Energy is supplied to muscles by the anaerobic conversion of pyruvate (ionized pyruvic acid) with the production of lactic acid which is stored in the muscles (and whose accumulation leads to the sensation of fatigue). When the exertion ceases and an adequate amount of oxygen is once more available, the lactic acid is conveyed to the liver and oxidized.

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