Paul Saladino· MD
also that damage to the bloodstream may cause cells to die sooner and it also affects red cells you can lose red cells because oxalate connects to various enzymes there's at least four enzymes that have been demonstrated in the research where oxalate sits on the active part of the enzyme so an enzyme is what facilitates reactions that produce energy in the body so the body has these energy pathways called glycolysis and the krebs cycle well the last step in glycolysis requires an enzyme that oxalate blocks and in red blood cells you don't have mitochondria you have to have glycolysis to produce these atps when oxalate is blocking that enzyme you have low energy in the cell those missing energy molecules means the pumps that control the ions in the cell slow down and don't work as well there's a a sodium pump an atp sodium pump in a red blood cell that has to keep the sodium pushed out of the cell but when there's not enough atp because there's too much oxalate around blocking the enzyme cells fill up with water because the sodium is getting stuck in the cell and the cell explodes or bursts so you get what we call hemolytic anemia