Which of the following best explains why red blood cells (RBCs) depend exclusively on glucose for ATP production?

RBCs contain large stores of glycogen that are used for fatty acid synthesis, so they primarily convert glucose to lipids.

RBCs can only use ketone bodies, but dietary glucose is needed to produce enzymes that allow ketone utilization.

RBCs preferentially use proteins because their membranes block carbohydrate entry, requiring conversion of amino acids into ATP in specialized organelles.

RBCs lack mitochondria, so they rely on anaerobic glycolysis which uses glucose as substrate and cannot oxidize fatty acids or ketones.