Why can xylitol only participate in 3 enzymecatalyzed biolog

Why can xylitol only participate in 3 enzyme-catalyzed biological reactions?

Solution

Xylitol has five carbon atoms and after entering the cell it carries out three step reaction only because after the three steps, it forms xylulose-5-P, which then enters pentose phosphate pathway and its used as a source of energy. The reactions are as follows
Xylitol -------->.Xylulose--------->.xylulose-5-P----->.PPP

Since this is the shortest pathway to enter the glycolysis cycle, it uses these reactions only. This is ENERGY SAVING reactions for xylitol to enter glycolysis and other biochemical pathways.