The document discusses several key aspects of carbohydrate metabolism that must be considered when studying carbohydrates:
1. Central pathways like glycolysis, the Entner-Doudoroff pathway, and the pentose phosphate cycle.
2. Mechanisms of ATP production like substrate-level phosphorylation and oxidative phosphorylation.
3. Metabolic steps involving reduction or oxidation.
4. The role of oxygen in aerobic vs. anaerobic metabolism.
5. Metabolic intermediates used for biosynthesis.