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Chemistry - Glycogen and fat as energy reserves in the body

Glycogen and fat as energy reserves in the body

Glucose is the most abundant carbohydrate in the blood.

Glucose consumed in excess of the body's immediate energy requirements is
converted, in a process called glycogenesis, to glycogen, [1] which is
stored primarily in the liver and muscle tissue.

The liver of an average adult can hold about 110 g of glycogen and the
muscles about 245 g. The liver also converts fructose and galactose to
glucose.

While glycogen in muscles is used for energy production, glycogen in the
liver is also used to maintain blood sugar levels at a concentration that
meets the body's energy needs.

Your blood normally contains enough glucose to provide your body's energy
needs for about 15 minutes. This level of blood glucose is maintained by
the controlled hydrolysis of glycogen stored in the liver.

Hydrolysis [2] of glycogen releases glucose into the blood. The reactions
for the formation of glycogen by condensation polymerisation of glucose,
and the hydrolysis of glycogen to produce glucose, are similar to those
shown earlier for the formation of starch and hydrolysis of starch.

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[1] http://alison.com/#
[2] http://alison.com/#